One Stupid Thing
by bannerday
Summary: ON HIATUS FOR NOW 16 yr old Bella became 13 yr old Edward's secret-older-woman-crush. It's 10 years later and he's still crushing. She is about to marry the wrong man. Can he convince her there is another choice? Will Fate intervene? Maybe both...E&B POV
1. Cornerstone

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: This story was originally begun as "You Have So Much To Learn." There were problems with it and I was trying to do too much at once. I decided to finish The Transfer and then take this in a little different direction so I am now pursuing the story that was on hiatus for soooooo long. There has also been a name change because of that new direction. **

**One Stupid Thing is told through flashbacks which will eventually meet up with the present time and the present situation. You'll get pieces of the puzzle as we go. I hope it's not confusing. Good luck!**

**No copyright infringement intended.**

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**Preface**

**Thursday, April 21…Today**

**BPOV (26 years old)**

I'd always given so much thought to every decision I'd ever made. I'd lived my life so carefully, putting so much forethought into every action, every plan. People around me, including my own parents, had plunged headlong into life-altering mistakes by being foolishly led by their hearts when their minds should have given valuable input. I'd always figured you should be able to plot and plan accordingly for the best results.

I would never have imagined I'd find myself in my current situation.

I knew that if I'd never gone to live in Forks in the first place, and certainly if I'd never returned there to make a career, I wouldn't be facing this life-altering event now. But as terrified as I was, as nervous as I felt, I couldn't bring myself to regret this decision. It was the right thing to do. Of that I was absolutely certain.

I pressed a somewhat sweaty palm against my stomach, trying to quell the roiling butterflies within. I felt the smooth, sleek fabric of my gown against my shaking fingertips.

I looked into the dark eyes of the smiling young man standing opposite me.

I was on the precipice of doing one stupid thing. One really stupid thing.

I held my breath.

And then I leapt.

**Chapter 1: Cornerstone**

**August 27…8 months ago**

**BPOV (25 years old) **

I walked in the door of Cullen's Bar and Grill and I could feel him before I even saw him. The sensation was nearly instantaneous. A low-level charge was humming right through me now, letting me know he was near before my eyes even found him in the crowd across the room.

Of course I'd known he'd be here, having finally moved back home, supposedly for good, if I was to trust the information on the grapevine. I hadn't seen him earlier, when he'd first moved back to Forks, because I'd been on vacation in Jacksonville this summer. But news travels fast, even when you're away on vacation on the other side of the country for three weeks.

That little static hum hadn't existed in the early days, of course, back when we first met. That would have been sick, or at the very least, creepy. And later, there came a time when it would have been slightly less creepy but embarrassingly wrong and borderline illegal. Thank God I hadn't felt it until later and it was certainly stronger in more recent years.

It had taken time to develop and in fact, I'm not even really sure when I first sensed the existence of that electrical charge. I just remember the feeling of surprise when I first noticed it and the overwhelming inappropriateness of it when I first realized it was there. But of course by then, it had already been there for a bit; I'd felt its familiarity even as I became truly aware of it for the first time.

Odd.

I'd just never noticed its arrival. It had sneaked up on me and settled in; making itself at home within me. It wouldn't leave either, though it sometimes lay dormant for months or even a whole year at a time, waiting to reawaken and recharge when next we met.

It had been at least a year since I'd seen him last…and since I'd felt that little electrical humming sensation. And it had been a little more than two years since I'd really talked to him….on the momentous occasion of his twenty-first birthday…momentous for several reasons and probably part of the reason he didn't return to Forks the following summer.

How does someone have that kind of effect on you without even trying? How does that happen when all you have between you is a well-worn, comfortable friendship and respectful attachment and nothing more? How do you fight against it and push it away because it is and always will be the wrong thing to feel for the wrong person?

I looked up and instantly spotted him across the room. It was the chaotic hair that drew my attention, naturally, a mix of near-metallics…coppers and bronze catching the play of light as he moved.

He was still himself, but he was so much more. He looked older, moved more gracefully and surely, and he seemed more confident and self-possessed. He was far more the man than the boy now; taller, filled-out in a muscular sort of way, broader in the shoulders which made him appear narrower in the hips, and he was still far more beautiful than any male had a right to be.

My face was carefully neutral as I made my way to the bar.

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

I was helping out behind the bar again tonight, instead of camping out in the office getting paperwork done. It felt like old times whenever I got behind the bar.

I'd started working at Meyer's Bar and Grill during my freshman year attending the University of Washington in Seattle. My first job there had been as a part-time busboy in the restaurant section of the bar and grill when I was eighteen. It was a popular spot for the college crowd and they employed quite a few students.

I moved back home to Forks the following summer when school was out, but when I returned to Seattle for my sophomore year, at the age of nineteen, I was re-hired at Meyer's to bus tables once again. That had evolved rather quickly into waiting tables, where I'd made overly-decent tips, especially when waiting on the female population that frequented the place. For some reason they always seemed to wind up seated in my section.

The following summer, at the end of my junior year, when I turned twenty, I was back home in Forks once again but my job in Seattle was waiting for me in September when I returned as a senior. The owners of the place were happy to hire me back again and again, saying I was one of their most dependable, hard-working employees. They were great about arranging my schedule at work to fit my class schedule at UDub.

When I graduated at the end of my senior year and turned twenty-one a month afterward, I didn't head home for the summer. Partly due to extenuating circumstances on my twenty-first birthday, I decided to stay in Seattle and get my bartender's license.

I became one of the regular barkeeps, helping to put myself through two years of graduate school while working my way up in the hierarchy at Meyer's. Six months ago the regular assistant manager was in a bad automobile accident and was unable to return to work. I slowly began filling in for him, taking over some of the duties he'd had as assistant manager as well. I'd learned all the ropes at Meyer's, from the ground up. I'd been a busboy, waiter, bartender and assistant manager.

All that experience had put me in good stead for returning to the home front this summer and taking over for my brother, Emmett, in what had oddly enough become the family business.

Several years earlier, my mother's rather wealthy parents had passed away, leaving her a substantial inheritance that allowed her to buy the defunct Spoons-n-Forks diner and completely overhaul it and turn it into Cullen's Bar and Grill. Though the Spoons-n-Forks diner had been the favored hangout for kids back when I was in junior high and high school, the elderly owners had found it to be too much work and they were glad to finally sell the establishment and retire.

My mother hadn't started out as a restaurateur but her sudden wealth, combined with her interests in renovating and decorating and cooking and caring for people in a culinary fashion, led her rather lucratively in that direction. She managed the end result with Emmett's assistance when he finished his education and followed in her footsteps.

I hadn't planned on going in that direction myself, but after working at Meyer's for so long and with my newly earned MBA under my belt, I fell into the newly discovered family business as well and really enjoyed all aspects of it.

The overwhelming success of the Cullen's Bar and Grill in Forks had led to my mother deciding that there should maybe be a Cullen's in Port Angeles as well. Emmett had been primed for the start up of that business and so the already up-and-running Cullen's in Forks became my place of business. I had taken over for him nearly three weeks ago.

At the tender age of 23, I found myself running the most successful restaurant, bar and live entertainment venue in Forks. Not that there were very many to choose from… although Forks had grown up quite a bit in the past decade.

Most nights I only came out of the back office to make the rounds, see how things were running, chat with the patrons and trouble shoot problems. But Happy Hour at Cullen's Bar and Grill always got a little crazy and we were short-handed tonight, so I found myself behind the bar, doling out the drinks like old times, wondering when James was going to finally show up to tend bar.

I'd known James since we were kids. We'd gone to Forks Elementary School together. I think we first met back in fourth grade. He was the kid that was always in trouble, often for things he hadn't actually done, until later in junior high and high school, when he actually usually was the perpetrator of whatever mild misdeeds were attributed to him.

He wound up getting his act together toward the end of high school and getting an Associate's Degree at Forks Community College. He'd reliably worked a variety of jobs since then and had been working at Cullen's for the past two years.

I was in the middle of filling a drink order when I glanced toward the door as a few customers were walking out. A few more were headed inside when I was caught completely off guard. I had just uncapped four bottles of import beers and proceeded to knock one over, spilling beer everywhere. I was pissed off for reacting that way, but I couldn't really blame myself.

Ten years down the road and I still felt the same way whenever I saw her.

"Her" was Isabella "Heartbreak" Swan…Bella. Her name said it all. Always had, always would.

She was coming into the restaurant. Headed directly for the bar. Coming to mess with my mind and my life yet again.

And she didn't even know it.

In high school Emmett had dubbed her Isabella 'Heartbreak' Swan. I don't know exactly why he started calling her that, but I had come to see how apt that nickname was. Every time I saw her, as she would drift into my life and then back out again, I was left a little more heartbroken; my life in general was just a little bit more screwed up.

It had been going on for a decade now, I suddenly realized. _Ten whole years!_ And though I sometimes wouldn't see her for months or even years in between, it always came back to her and the feelings I harbored for her. She was ruining me and she had ruined everyone else for me. No one would ever compare. And she wasn't even aware of it; I couldn't tell her because it would just scare her off and that was the last thing I wanted. I'd nearly tried to tell her two years ago and that had led to my self-imposed near-exile for the past two years.

I would take whatever I could get from her and I wouldn't over step my bounds.

I knew how cautiously, carefully and meticulously she had planned out her life…how she did everything, really…and I couldn't disrupt that. I knew I wasn't part of her plan. I didn't fit into those plans at all. She had strict parameters and I fell on the other side of her boundaries. We could be friends but that would be it. We could never be more. We could never be what I wanted; what I'd dreamed and imagined for a decade.

The whole thing started back when I was a thirteen year old student at Forks Junior High School. My memories of each and every encounter are still so vivid ten years later. I don't have her, I have no chance of ever having her, but the memories are what I do have. At least that counts for something, pathetic though that may be.

**February 2…10 years ago**

**EPOV (13 years old, 8****th**** grade)**

I'd become a colossal fuck-up. The whole Cullen clan knew it. There was no good reason for me to be such a disaster, I just was. I was actually pretty smart but I was a smart screw-up.

I was the youngest of three.

My older brother, Emmett, an eighteen year old high school senior now, was smart and he was on the right track; the scholarship track. He was someone to be proud of. Shit, he had a roomful of sports and academic trophies to prove it.

Alice, just eighteen months and one grade younger than he, at sixteen, was smart as a whip and had her life all planned out. Even though she was only a junior in high school she was a first-rate organizer and planner, with her path mapped out ahead of her.

Then there was me, Edward, thirteen years old; smart and going nowhere rapidly. It had been pointed out to me by Emmett that I was on the dumbshit track.

It had all recently come to a seething boil within the family. My parents, Esme and Carlisle, were fighting about it. I think it was even taking a toll on their marriage. My mom always either had tears in her eyes or a nervous smile on her face. My dad's jaw was perpetually clenched in frustration. Alice was constantly rude to me because I was the focus these days, taking the spotlight off her. She couldn't take that and was no longer speaking to me at all. Emmett had finally had enough of it and had beaten the shit out of me two weeks ago. Once he did that, he had also lost the right to use his car for three weeks, so now he was even angrier because it was putting a crimp in his love life with Miss Rosalie Hale.

Fuck him.

What was my problem? I didn't even fucking know. I'd always loved school when I was younger. In September, when it was time to go back to school, I had always been the one who was creaming his jeans because I got to go buy new shit for school. Pencils and pens and folders and notepads. A new backpack to put it all in. Whoop-di-doo.

What had happened to me? I didn't even know, really.

By the end of seventh grade, I was headed in a new and reckless direction, and by the time first semester was over this year, I was a total loser. Just ask the family; they'd vouch.

My dad thought it had something to do with him putting in so many more hours at the hospital, since he'd been offered some kind of a loftier position. Chief-of-Something-Lofty. But lofty paid well. He was planning on having three kids in college soon, so his current loftiness came at a good time.

My mom thought my attitude had something to do with her going back to work after all these years. She'd been a stay-at-home mini-van driver until last year but the college bills were going to require two incomes. She had begun dabbling in home decorating and interior design and renovation again, like she had done before meeting and marrying my dad and raising kids and putting her own career on hold.

Emmett thought I was the way I was because I was the spoiled baby of the family. He thought I had been pampered and coddled though I seriously don't remember any preferential treatment. I think I usually got the shit end of the stick.

Alice thought my behavior had taken the turn it had simply because I got off on being an ass. She might have been closest, because I really don't know what my problem was. I'd never really been mistreated or ignored. I just didn't give a shit and didn't see why I should.

Whatever. School got boring. Skipping school got entertaining. A burning curiosity to dabble in a few minor illegal substances became intriguing. Being a colossal fuck-up became a delight.

Until last week.

Last week Daddy C put his foot down. And he put it down right up my ass. I had been given an ultimatum. Total turn around by the end of the school year, with decent grades that would put me on the college-bound track for high school, or I was being shipped off to some kind of Boot Camp for juvenile delinquents and other societal screw-ups for the entire summer.

Terrific. I could star in my own personal version of _Holes._

I was also reminded by Daddy C that he, my father, was also a doctor. He explained he wouldn't hesitate to give me a breath test or take a urine sample to run a drug test if he had the slightest inkling that I had the slightest inclination to try anything illegal. He found my pack of smokes in my room and took me immediately to the cancer ward of the hospital to meet some of the patients who were battling lung cancer.

Fuck, that was just playing dirty pool. I threw the smokes out right at the hospital and we returned home with little discussion.

In addition to the ultimatum and the halt to all substance abuse, there would be a tutor; three times a week, at least two hours each day, until I showed some improvement academically, but probably continuing the entire semester..

Fucking stellar.

Like I needed assistance because I was slow-witted.

So today was day one of the tutorial program and I was waiting for the tutor now. Some sixteen-year-old high school kid from Forks High.

Daddy C had decided that if they had entrusted Emmett with my tutoring, he would probably kill me after about the first fifteen minutes. Alice wasn't a good choice either; a tutor had to actually talk to get their information across. Currently, Alice was only glaring at me and shooting me the finger when the parents weren't looking.

So tutoring arrangements had been made by a rather stricken and fed-up Mama C. She'd spoken with Mrs. Cope, the secretary in the office at FHS, and somehow they had come up with the student who would be the solution to our family's problems.

The doorbell rang while I was sitting there wondering just how bad the _Holes _Boot Camp situation could really be. My mom nervously got up to answer the door while I just sat there at the kitchen table, ready to show this geek who the fucking boss was, regarding my education, or the total debacle that was the current state of my education. I could hardly wait to see what kind of a pimply-faced geek they had made arrangements with. This was not going to go well. I figured I'd pretty much see to that. I had a definite negative attitude about this whole goddamned fucked up shitty idea.

I heard the door open, and then close. The were soft voices in the next room as my mom spoke with my geeky tutor and then footsteps across the hardwood floor. I looked up as my mom came into the room. She had a bright, hopeful smile plastered on her face. It didn't really reach her eyes though; the dam could burst and those tears could go at any moment. She was hopeful yet doubtful. I didn't blame her, she was probably right to doubt.

"Edward," she extended her arm, indicating the high school kid coming in behind her, as she moved to the side, "this is Isabella Swan, your tutor."

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**A/N: And so you have the cornerstone of their relationship: a meeting between a thirteen year-old boy and his sixteen year old tutor a decade ago. And they've met up again recently at a bar named Cullen's with some apparent history…or lack of history… And what's with that preface at the beginning of it all? ****Hmmm…wonder where this is headed…hopefully you'll keep reading. Let me know what you thought.**


	2. Earliest Impressions

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: Still that same evening 8 months ago and peeks back at a decade ago. A lot more background on that fateful first day when a 16 year old tutor arrived to work with a 13 year old problem child. **

**No copyright infringement intended.**

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**Chapter 2: Earliest Impressions**

**August 27…8 months ago **

**BPOV (25 years old)**

As I made my way through the restaurant, toward the bar, I realized Edward would now be…_what?_...twenty three years old? I looked across the room at him where he stood behind the bar, working.

He had grown into his unusual features and had become such a startlingly attractive young man. He had such a singular appearance; that shock of uncooperative hair, thick eyebrows and long dark lashes that framed deep green eyes, the slight bump in the nearly straight nose, an expressive mouth, and, of course, the pièce de résistance, that killer jaw of his. He had such a strong masculine jaw, covered with a shading of beard at this point in the evening. I glanced around and saw that quite a few of the women in the bar were watching him. Some of them were probably here simply to get a fix of Edward's eye candy. Some things never changed.

We hadn't spoken in a while; not since Emmett's and Rose's wedding last summer, although that conversation had been uncomfortable and very brief. But we were both going to be living here in Forks now and we had to get past any discomfort between us. Besides...I felt bad for how things had been left between us; I'd always enjoyed talking to him. He was smart and funny and he was a good listener. I certainly had no plans to avoid him tonight. He had seen me come in; his eyes had met mine from across the room. It would seem rude if I didn't go talk to him or at least say hello. I just hoped he was receptive to patching things up a little more.

He was cleaning something up that had spilled all over the bar. It seemed odd to see him where Emmett would normally be working; patrolling Cullen's, talking to customers, schmoozing and laughing and pitching in wherever he was needed.

Things were certainly changing around here in Forks.

**EPOV (23 years old)**

I grabbed a rag to wipe up the mess I had made when I'd upended the bottle of beer. It would never have happened if she hadn't chosen that moment to walk back into my life for the umpteenth time. I had felt that static in the atmosphere, like when you know a summer storm is coming and you can feel it in the air before you can actually see it. I felt her before I saw her. But that was nothing new.

If I had noticed her before she had seen me, I could have perhaps slipped away unnoticed, back into the office, where I could have shut the door and tried to block her out of my mind and hold off on having her reenter my life. But she had seen me and now I had that same familiar jittery feeling I'd experienced before. That same feeling I got every time she was near.

She would be nearly twenty six now, I thought to myself. Her birthday would be just around the corner. She really didn't look much older than she had when she'd been in college or even high school. She just looked more polished. Of course she was beautiful. She always had been. She always would be.

**February 2…10 years ago**

**BPOV (16 years old, 11****th**** grade****)**

I had been living with my mother in Phoenix, Arzona, for the past few years but I was finally shipped off to live with my father, in Forks, Washington this past summer. I missed the weather in Phoenix, but I didn't miss my oftentimes nomadic existence with my free-spirited and restless mother.

Renee had her own life to live and it was usually ruled by whatever her current younger-man-romance or personal artistic endeavor dictated. I wouldn't say that she didn't love me, because I know she does in her own chaotic way, but I know having to take responsibility for a child has always slowed her down. She really wasn't very good at taking care of a child but I had always been resourceful and had developed the necessary skills to compensate. I was more the parent than she was.

So when her most current younger-man romantic relationship began to flourish and blossom and she began talking about following that younger love interest to Jacksonville, Florida, I had decided to move to Forks and take up residence with my much more rooted and dependable father, Chief of Police, Charlie Swan. I landed in Forks with plans to stay for the duration of high school and hopefully for college in Seattle as well. After that, I wasn't quite sure what surprises life would have in store for me.

The big plus in all of this was that I was ahead in school. I'd taken summer school classes and honors classes and tested ahead in some areas, so now this year, my junior year, had also become my senior year. I was going to actually graduate this June at the age of sixteen, one year earlier than the average student my age.

My plan was to stay focused in school, get into college, work like crazy, maybe finish ahead of schedule and graduate. I wanted to get my teaching credential and start on a career as fast as possible so I was no longer dependent upon others.

I had always been kind of a loner and I had planned on being that way here in Forks too. Only I had become a person of interest. The Police Chief's Mystery Daughter, come from The Sunny Southwest. I'd become the hot topic of conversation and for some reason everyone wanted to get to know me. I wasn't quite sure why; I really wasn't very interesting and I didn't want a busy social life to upset my goals. Still, you have to at least be polite to others and they seemed intrigued that someone new had been dropped into their midst.

During the fall semester I managed to find a part-time job at the Spoons-n-Forks diner. I worked some evening shifts and on the weekends, bussing tables and waitressing for the dinner crowd. When second semester rolled around, though, I couldn't work that many hours because it was cutting into my school work and a college night class I was taking. I had to quit. I needed some kind of job to save money for college but I couldn't work that many hours and I didn't want to work too late into the evenings on school nights. Baby-sitting wasn't going to cut it, either; that wouldn't be regular enough work or pay. I needed a somewhat more reliable income than that.

That was when Mrs. Cope had called me into the front office at school to see if I was interested in tutoring. She was the school secretary and a friend of Charlie's and she knew I had good grades and wanted to be a teacher one day. She had also been a regular at the diner, stopping in every Thursday evening for the dinner special which included her favorite, blackberry pie. She had asked me at school why I was no longer working at the Spoons-n-Forks. I explained my situation and my dilemma and so she knew I was looking for a job. Mrs. Cope asked me if I knew the Cullens.

I'd never met Dr. Cullen or Mrs. Cullen, although I knew he was a highly respected surgeon at the medical center and she was very active in the community. Mrs. Cope said Carlisle Cullen practically ran the medical center himself and Esme Cullen was one of the sweetest ladies you'd ever meet in the Pacific Northwest.

Alice Cullen was in my grade. She was a tiny thing, very pretty, with short, spiky dark hair. I didn't really know her but she was in my physical education class and seemed about as disinterested as I was when it came to athletics.

Emmett Cullen was at the other end of the spectrum from Alice in his size and his attitude toward sports. He was big and muscular and played every major sport Forks High had to offer. He was a year ahead of me, a senior, although technically I was now in his graduating class. We were in the same Advanced Spanish class with Mrs. Goff and we had shared a Government class together first semester with Mr. Cheney. He was also quite attractive, with short, dark curly hair, and a dimpled smile that made you think he had just gotten away with something naughty.

Mrs. Cope told me about the third Cullen, the one I'd never met, the younger one…Edward. He was a thirteen year old student at the junior high school. It seems Edward was turning into quite the delinquent, earning D's and F's in all subjects except music.

But Mrs. Cope went on to tell me that Edward was smart. She had connections in the front office over at the junior high and they'd told her Edward was actually really quite bright, repeatedly scoring very high on standardized tests given to all students. He was just wasting his ability and wasting his teachers' time and taking up space in classrooms where he wasn't accomplishing much of anything besides causing aggravation and breathing his share of the oxygen in the classroom.

Doctor and Mrs. Cullen were looking for someone to work one-on-one with Edward, three times a week for two hours each stint, for the remainder of the school year; nearly an entire semester. They would pay well, Mrs. Cope explained, because they knew it would be an uphill battle to work with the boy. I accepted the job because I needed to work on saving up money for college. Maybe I could help Edward and it would give me a chance to work on my teaching skills.

So I went to the Cullens' home that Monday, right at the beginning of February, to meet with Edward for our first tutoring session. Mrs. Cullen met me at the door and introduced herself. She was very pretty and seemed every bit as sweet as Mrs. Cope had said but I could see that she was nervous and upset about Edward's lack of enthusiasm for school. I promised her that I would give it my very best shot.

We walked into the kitchen and she introduced me to Edward. He was a rather lanky, sullen-looking boy with braces and unruly hair in an unusual coppery-bronze color. The momentarily surly expression on his face quickly faded and morphed into more of an expression of surprise or astonishment. I wasn't quite sure why he seemed surprised, but he didn't look so scary once that scowl was wiped off his face. He abruptly stood up and I saw that he was taller than me; really rather on the tall side for an eighth grader. I was impressed that he remembered his manners and stood for our introduction.

**EPOV (13 years old, 8****th**** grade)**

My breath left in a whoosh when I saw her.

_Not a pimply-faced geek. Not by a long shot. A girl. A girl? Nobody had said anything about a girl._

She was small, slender, but still quite curvy. Her thick, wavy, shiny brown hair was pulled up into a ponytail. She had a creamy complexion, and her skin looked like it would be soft to the touch. Her big brown eyes, slightly upturned nose and rather full lips fought for attention in her heart-shaped face. She extended her hand to shake mine; all business-like and stuffy. I quickly stood up, before my mom could remind me about my manners.

"Edward, it's nice to meet you," the girl said politely.

_Yeah, but working with me just might prove otherwise._

I extended my hand, because hers was still there, waiting, and I felt a tingly sort of sensation in my fingertips as our hands clasped. Her grip was firm and that surprised me because of how small and slight she seemed. It was a decisive grip. I'd have to think about that firm-grip-shit later.

I gave her my best cool-guy, head-jerk nod. "Hey," I muttered. My mother cleared her throat sharply and I remembered I had to be polite. "It's, uh, nice to meet you, too." But then my scowl was firmly back in place as I remembered how much I didn't want to be doing this. She was cute, but I still wanted none of this crap, three times a week. She had probably already decided that I was a dim-wit and that was why I needed her help. I could hardly wait for her to start with the condescending tone of voice she would most surely use when she tutored me.

"Isabella is a junior at Forks High," my mother explained. Then she turned back to look at Isabella. "Do you know Edward's sister, Alice? She's a junior, like you; she'd be in your grade level. Or maybe you know Emmett? He'd be a grade ahead of you. He's a senior. "

I looked Isabella Swan over while my mom was talking to her. She was wearing an oversized Forks High sweatshirt that hid entirely too much of her body, and tight blue jeans that would have shown more of her body if there had been a little less sweatshirt coverage. She had on a pair of tan, grungy-looking boots; they were like men's work boots.

_What was up with those shoes? What girl wears those?_

"I know who Alice is," she responded politely to my mom's question, "we're in the same physical education class, Mrs. Cullen, but I'm afraid I don't know her very well. And I know Emmett a little. We have Spanish class together and we were in the same U.S. Government class first semester. I also know who he is because of all the sports he plays for Forks High, but we've never really talked very much. I'm a pretty quiet student."

I just stood there listening, growing irritated as she spoke about Emmett.

_Emmett is the Jock-of-all-Sports. Everybody knows Mr. Athleticism. Wonderful…let's give him another trophy just for that._

I just stood there watching her, frowning a little, I realized. She was very serious, and seemed like a rather quiet girl, but she was self-possessed. She hadn't really smiled much this whole time; she wasn't your usual overly-bubbly annoying girl.

My mom smiled nervously at both of us. "Well, Isabella, I'll let you get started with Edward. You can work in here at the kitchen table."

"Mrs. Cullen," Isabella paused, "do you mind if I drive Edward over to the junior high school first to pick up his school books from his locker?"

_What the hell? How did she know?_

My mom stared at me. "Are your books at school, Edward?"

I shoved my hands in my pockets and nodded sullenly.

"Why didn't you bring them home, Edward? You knew you were beginning to work with your tutor today."

_Take it as a sign of my extreme reluctance. Don't you get that? I'm a shithead bound for Boot Camp._

I just shrugged uncooperatively.

My mother sighed, turning back to the girl, "Isabella, that would be fine; go right ahead. I'm so sorry about this. Edward," she turned to look disapprovingly at me, "Go with Isabella. And you make sure to bring all your books home. And don't forget to buckle your seatbelt."

_Yeah, thanks Mom, because that would never occur to me. What? Am I five? Shit!_

I stood up and started walking to the door.

"Manners, Edward," my mom warned.

_Fucking hell…_

I sighed as I opened the door for Isabella and held it as she walked out the door past me. And now I realized what a great idea manners were, as my eyes followed the movement of her ass down the steps and up the front walk. I didn't have the best view because of that oversized sweatshirt, but there was a definite sway to her hips as she walked. At least if I had to do this, it was so much better than watching the ass of a pimply-faced geek. We walked out to an ancient red truck, parked on the street in front of our house and climbed in.

"This is a heck of a truck," I muttered as I got situated, wondering if the hunk of junk would break down, fall apart or explode on the way to the junior high.

She looked over at me, grinning a little as she began starting it up. "Yeah, I know. It's not much to look at but I own it outright. It's all mine. I bought it myself, with my own money and it's dependable."

_Bought it herself? Even Emmett had a car that had been handed to him on a platter_. And _Alice would get her car-on-a-platter later this year._

I crossed my arms over my chest and tilted my head and watched her out of the corner of my eye as she began driving. She really seemed too small to be driving this big hunk of junk.

"You bought this yourself?" I asked her. I was asking because of the money, not because of the truck. She looked over and smiled. Her smile was pretty. It was the first time I'd really seen it. I got the feeling she didn't smile enough.

_Not that I'm actually Mr. Sunshine myself._

"Yes. I want to be independent as quickly as I can. So I work hard and save my money so that I can be on my own as soon as possible. I have goals and plans to get there."

_Well, la-di-da! Then there's the rest of us…._

Actually, after I thought about it for a moment, I decided that was pretty smart. She would be out from under her parents' supervision sooner and could do whatever the heck she wanted. It was actually a smart idea. I'd never thought of things that way.

"How did you know my books were at school?" I asked, curious.

"If you're doing as poorly in school as your mom said over the phone, you're not bringing anything home with you, are you?"

I shook my head. "No."

"And your parents haven't been keeping such good tabs on you because they have too many other things to worry about. Follow-through is hard, you know. That'll be my job. You're not getting away with this anymore, Edward. It stops today."

I'd been watching her as she said all that. She said it all so matter-of-factly. She didn't even turn and make eye contact. She wasn't threatening. She just stated it like it was purely obvious. How was she going to enforce that? Did she think she could take me? Because I was pretty sure I could take her in a wrestling match. I almost laughed out loud at that thought. Then I thought about how wrestling with her might feel and that squelched the laugh right out of me.

She began talking again as she made the last turn before the junior high.

"So, step one, we get your books from your locker. Step two, we stop and get a milkshake at the diner. Step three, we go back to your house and I look at the books, while you tell me what you know so I can figure out what you don't know and where we're going to start. "

_That's it? She's got a plan and she's assuming that I'm going to cooperate? Wait…get a milkshake?_

"Um, I didn't bring any money for a milkshake."

"I'm buying," she said as she pulled into the parking lot at school. "Think of it as an introductory incentive. You can buy next time if you want. Okay?"

"Um, okay…I guess."

_She was going to buy me a milkshake. Was this like a date or something?_

By the time our first session was over for the day we had polished off our chocolate milkshakes from the Spoons-n-Forks and had reviewed all of the parts of speech for an English class quiz and worked on a few late Algebra assignments from last week. She had also decided to teach me some colors in Spanish and I wasn't even taking Spanish but that was actually kind of interesting.

It was hard to be a jackass to her. I didn't want to upset her. There was something about her that just made me feel like I should sit up and listen and be polite. It was like I had no choice in the matter, plus I didn't want to hurt her feelings. It seemed like she needed to be treated kindly. I'm not sure why I felt that way about her...I almost felt protective of her. And she had treated me kindly as well. She didn't act all high and mighty and treat me like I was a scholastic loser.

At five thirty we packed up my books and papers, stacking them neatly into a pile, finally finished for the day.

"Okay, Edward, so I'll see you on Wednesday. You're buying our drinks."

"Oh, uh, okay…sure," I stammered.

_So what, we're going to go for a milkshake run each time she comes over? I guess that's cool…a little something to look forward to._

I walked her to the front door and remembered my manners and opened the door for her again, holding it open as she walked through, once again watching her ass sashay a little as she made her way down the steps. She popped a piece of gum in her mouth and waved as she got to her dilapidated truck.

"See you Wednesday!" she called brightly before climbing inside.

I nodded and waved. Then I shut the door and headed to my room, thinking about how having a tutor was probably a little better than having to go to Boot Camp. There probably weren't even any girls at Boot Camp. If there were, there was a good chance they didn't look like her.

**BPOV: (16 years old, 11****th**** grade)**

That first tutoring session went pretty well, I thought. Edward really wasn't so terrible; he just needed someone to stay on top of what was going on with him. He was surprised, I could tell, when I knew that his books were at school. Give me a break! Actually, maybe it was a good thing, because once we drove off to go pick them up he talked to me a little in the truck as we went. He seemed kind of uncomfortable at first, but after talking a little on the way to get his books from his locker, and then at the Spoons-n-Forks while we waited for our milkshakes, and on the short ride back to his house, he had loosened up a little. I felt like it would be important to have a good rapport with him if I were going to be working with him throughout the entire semester.

He actually didn't complain at all; he just did the work he needed to get done and I made sure he knew what he was doing. I could tell talking to him that he was bright. There was a lot that he already knew, he probably just didn't do the work and get credit for it, but he understood a lot of underlying concepts. I decided before that first session was over, that this would probably actually turn out to be quite enjoyable. I loved the feeling that I could help someone learn something and improve their knowledge. It just reaffirmed my desire to be a teacher someday.

**EPOV: (13 years old, 8****th**** grade)**

I walked upstairs to my room after Isabella Swan had left for the day, taking a seat on my bed and looking at the wall in my room. I was kind of in a daze. But it seemed like a fairly good daze. Then I glanced at the couch against the wall. I looked around my room, identifying the colors of the things my eyes landed on to myself in Spanish, until I realized I didn't know how to say purple or orange…huh… I'd have to ask her on Wednesday.

I laid myself down on my bed contemplating brown eyes, brown hair, a heart-shaped face with a curvy body and a quietly pushy personality. She hadn't really been so bad, and she didn't treat me like I was an idiot. I thought about how surprised I'd been when she walked into the kitchen upon her arrival. Not at all what I had been expecting. She was so much prettier than the pimply-faced geek in my imagination. She'd been all formal and we'd even shaken hands. I thought about that handshake again now.

_What was it I'd wanted to remember? _

_Oh, shit, yeah._

There had been that tingly feeling I had gotten in my fingertips when my hand touched hers. And her hand was so soft and gentle and it had been neither sweaty nor dry. But then her handshake had been a full-on grip, not some tentative girly handshake.

I got up and locked my door. Then I laid myself back down on my bed. I needed some alone-time to fully contemplate her and her soft hand, and that firm grip of hers, and just what, exactly, it all meant to me and the tent I was pitching in my pants as I thought about Isabella Swan.

Shit, I had to admit, as I unbuttoned my jeans, this tutor crap had some potential.

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**A/N: Awww…Pissy Youngward…developing a crush on an older woman at the tender age of thirteen. And no-nonsense, sixteen-year-old Bella, just doing her job back then. And now they're adults, back in Forks. But there's a heck of a lot of other stuff that has taken place in the ten-year interim. Things won't be as easy as you might think. And then there's that preface…hmmm…**

**Let me know your thoughts on this. I hope the time jumps aren't confusing. I depend greatly upon your feedback; compliments and criticisms alike. Thank you for reading.**


	3. Conversation Hearts

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: Still that same evening in the bar...and finally an opportunity to say hi. It's a little stilted at first...but at least it's a conversation. And a peek at an eventful Valentine's Day 10 years ago. ****Chapter 3: Conversation Hearts.**

**No copyright infringement intended.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Conversation Hearts**

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

I tried to work quickly, cleaning up the mess I'd spilled on the bar, so I could maybe just turn back to Bella, wave across the room with a friendly smile on my face, and then quickly slink away to the recesses of the bar; to the office or stockroom. But as I looked back up Bella was turning her head abruptly to the side. I realized someone must have called out her name and I watched as she gave a small smile and brief wave across the room. I craned my neck, looking in the direction she had waved, wondering who it was that had called out to her. What I saw irritated me. Tyler Crowley.

Tyler Crowley was one of the members of the bar's Frequent Flyer Club. He was here often; one of the regulars, reliving his glory days because really, as the current owner of the Forks Wash and Dry, the combo Laundromat and drycleaners, what kind of glory days did he have to look forward to in his future?

I wrung out the rag I'd been using to mop up the spilled beer, gave the bar one more quick wipe down, before tossing the rag aside angrily. Crowley still pissed me off, even though life had knocked him down a few pegs in the past ten years.

**February 13…10 years ago**

**EPOV (13 years old, 8****th**** grade)**

I could never have told a soul. I would probably take it to my grave. But if my life depended on telling my innermost secret during my eighth grade life, that secret would have to be that I began looking forward to my tutoring sessions more than anything else in the entire fucking week. That realization had become clear to me after just that first week of tutoring. The weekend had been a bitch because I had to wait an extra day to see her again. Somehow, Isabella Swan had become the bright spot in my day, three times a week. The schedule had been arranged so that she would come over on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

We established a sort of a routine after that first day. We would hop in her truck and go pick up a milkshake or soda over at the diner first before beginning to work. When we came back we'd work for about two solid hours on whatever homework I had and any kind of catch up work I had or extra-credit projects I could beg out of my teachers. When we were done, she'd help me organize my things and stack everything neatly and plan for the next few school days until I would see her again.

My favorite part of our sessions was always the drive in her truck to and from the Spoons-n-Forks. She'd ask me about my day at school…and not just the schoolwork. We would talk about things that happened at school besides the actual scholastic aspects. And she would tell me about her day and her classes and people at school and things that happened there. She talked to me like I was just another person; a friend. Some of the people she told me about were people I knew of through Emmett or Alice. But neither of them ever really spent much time talking to me about that kind of stuff. Maybe I had just never found it interesting before or maybe I had never listened. But I found myself hanging on Isabella Swan's every word.

She was changing me. I'd stopped ditching classes, because she always asked me about what we did in class and I would have had a hard time looking at her and contemplating lying. I hated the thought of disappointing her and not being able to answer her questions. I had also gotten to the point where I was putting out some effort in my classes. I didn't even really have to try very hard, a lot of stuff came fairly easily to me, but I liked bringing home a good grade on a quiz or a test or a paper, because she would be so thrilled.

It felt good to make her happy and make her smile. That always made me happy and made me smile…and occasionally gave me a boner besides. She actually did that to me quite a lot without even trying. Even when she wasn't around. I spent a lot of my free time thinking about her and imagining all kinds of inappropriate things I would have liked to do with her.

My grades started improving in those first two weeks. It would be a really slow process though before I would see improvement in my grade average. I had dug myself a pretty deep pit by not doing much work that first semester and it was a steep incline to climb out of my pit. Slowly but surely, however, I was becoming a respectable eighth grader.

My mom no longer looked like she was ready to cry at the drop of a hat. My dad was relieved that he could enjoy his lofty, yet time consuming position and sock away the money to possibly pay for not one, not two…but three college educations if I kept heading in the respectable direction I was going. Alice gave me the finger a lot less and spoke to me a little more. Emmett suddenly respected me, but for a very unexpected reason.

Emmett, and every other dick-sporting, dick-fisting, dickwad at that high school had the hots for Isabella Swan. The New Girl. The Chief's Daughter. The Mystery Girl. Why Emmett was at all interested, I'll never know because he already had Rosalie Hale, Forks High's Homecoming Queen and head cheerleader as his steady date and girlfriend-for-life.

Maybe it was just the intrigue of the newest member of the female persuasion to grace Forks High. All of the other girls at school had grown up in these parts or had lived here for a number of years. Isabella Swan had the mystique of her being new and untouched and undiscovered. She didn't seem to date or be very interested in anyone in particular or maybe all those big-talking dicks at Forks High were too scared to ask her out since they'd have to get her past her dad and his gun on the way out the door and off to a date.

I remember Emmett's comments the night after my first tutoring session.

"No way, Edward! You're shitting me, right? Isabella Heartbreak Swan is _your tutor_? How the hell did you swing that? She's going to be at our house three times a week until summer? So you're going to get to know her better than the rest of us? How the fuck is that fair?"

When he found out that she was my tutor, he was so pissed off that he had all those after school sports practices and games that would keep him away from our house until she was already gone for the day. Serves him right for being such a fucking jock-of-all-sports.

Of course I knew there would be times when he'd make it home just before she left, or he'd skip a practice because of some imagined illness, or the practice for the day would be cancelled due to weather conditions. I knew how that would go: he'd try to hang out in the kitchen, try to strike up a conversation with _my_ tutor; say something to try to impress her and fight for her attention. I don't know what his deal was, because he had Miss Rosalie Hale; why would he think he needed Isabella Swan, too?

_Shit… You got your girl. Let me have mine! _

_Sort of._

Of course he managed to make it home before she left our house at the end of that second week. He was a goddamned snoop, wondering what we were working on and asking her questions about some Spanish assignment they had in the class they shared. Isabella was polite and friendly to him, but she was focused on me and that just pleased me to no end. I knew it pissed Emmett off a little but she had goals and one of her goals was to help me get my work done and make sure I was doing things correctly.

The end of our second week of tutoring had been rather interesting. That second Friday was the highpoint and the low point of our sessions together, at least for me. First off, it was February 13th, so it was the day before Valentine's Day. I should have known it wouldn't all be perfect because it was also Friday the 13th. That tells you something right there.

It really surprised me that day when she showed up without her truck. When I opened the front door after she had rung the doorbell and I didn't see that red and rusting monster parked out along the curb, I was positive it had died.

"Uh, um, no," she stuttered. "It's okay; there's nothing wrong with the truck. I, uh, just got a ride from my dad on his way to his shift."

I'd nodded but I didn't pursue the matter. I realized then that we weren't going to go to the diner without her transportation, so I offered her a soda from our fridge before we sat down at the kitchen table. I was a little sad that we weren't going to have our drive in her truck to visit a little. But then something wonderful happened.

When Isabella came over that day she'd brought me a little gift. Well, it was really a gift that we shared. It wasn't much, really, but it meant a lot to me simply because it was a Valentine's Day gift. Sort of. Well, fuck, to me it was, anyway. It was a little box of Conversation Hearts. Those little multi-colored heart-shaped candies that have little one-, two-, or three-word sayings on them.

When we sat down at the kitchen table with our sodas she pulled that little red, pink and white box out of her purse and shoved it across the table toward me. I'm pretty sure I must have blushed. No girl had given me a Valentine since Elementary School. And suddenly this beautiful girl sitting next to me was giving me candy for Valentine's Day. I was furious with myself that I hadn't thought to buy her a little box of chocolates because maybe she would have liked that.

"Do you mind if we open them, Edward?" she was asking with a smile. "I was hoping you'd be willing to share them with me." She bit her lip a little and raised her brows hopefully.

I died a little every time I saw her do that biting thing to her lip.

"Oh, no, of course not. Go right ahead, Isabella." I was babbling like an idiot.

She picked up the box and opened it, shaking a few of the hearts out onto the table in front of me before doing the same for herself.

I sat there gaping at those three little hearts in front of me.

It was a sign from God or some such thing. Or maybe from Cupid himself. I hadn't felt the arrow pierce my heart, but it must have somehow happened.

The first three hearts out of the box, the ones sitting right in front of me, lined up neatly and perfectly like soldiers…they spelled it all out for me. They were a command from Isabella through a twist of fate:

'_Be mine.' 'Always.' 'Will you?'_

_Fucking yes._

It was a done deal in that instant. I would be hers. Always.

I have absolutely no idea what we worked on that day or what I accomplished, if anything. Hell, I don't even know if I responded to her questions appropriately. All I could think about were those first three little hearts out of the box and the internal promise I'd made her in that moment.

I think I looked into her big brown eyes a little more closely that day and I noticed that she had really pale freckles across the bridge of her nose that I hadn't seen before. Her hair seemed to be a mix of about three or four different tones of brown and I didn't remember seeing that before. But I think her mouth was the most amazing thing to me that day. Her lips, when she smiled and spoke and even when she pursed them as she looked over my work on the notebook paper that lay in front of her…her lips just held so much promise.

Towards the end of our session, she kept looking at the clock and checking her phone. When it was a little before five thirty she help me pack my things up. I must have been daydreaming because Emmett's heavy footsteps coming back downstairs and into the kitchen suddenly startled me.

"So, Isabella," he said loudly as he grabbed a soda from the fridge, "It will be Valentine's Day tomorrow. You got a hot date planned?"

I wanted to kick him for being a nosey jackass and possibly planting ideas in her head. I turned to look at her face though, because I also wanted to watch her reaction and hear her response.

She was kind of blushing a little and seemed a bit flustered before she managed to answer him.

"I'm not quite sure, Emmett. Not at the moment, no, but that could change. It sort of depends." She smiled at him and shrugged.

I was completely lost. It '_depends_?' Upon _what_?

Emmett looked just as confused by that response as I was. She'd better not be hinting around that he should ask her out. That wouldn't go over at all well with Rosalie. She'd chop off his balls and feed them to her family's Rottweiler. And I'd stand there and laugh my head off.

Emmett tried again.

"Rose and I are going to the Valentine's Dance up at the high school. But you know you don't have to go to those things with a date. Anyone can attend whatever they'd like. Maybe you should think about going," he suggested.

I was about to tell him to mind his own fucking business when I was struck dumb by her response.

"There's a chance I might go. We'll see," she said. I heard her phone vibrating in her purse. "Um, I've got to get going." She seemed a little nervous suddenly.

"I'll walk you out," I said, standing up and glaring at Emmett before he could volunteer to dance her to the doorstep. I remembered that she didn't have her truck with her today. "How are you getting home?" I asked as I opened the door. But then I knew, as soon as I saw the dark blue van parked out on the street. "Oh, never mind," I mumbled.

_Tyler Crowley. _

Tyler Crowley was Mr. Cool, Mr. Biceps, Mr. Star-Quarterback-Three-Years Straight, Mr. Homecoming King, Mr. Ladies' Man, Mr. Love 'Em and Dump 'Em.

_No…say it isn't so…_

Bella turned to me on the front porch looking a little flushed. "I guess I'll see you on Monday, Edward. Make sure to read that chapter for history. Adiόs, mi amigo!"

I could only nod as she turned and walked down our steps.

_What the fuck was she doing with Mr. I'm-the-Biggest-Fucking-Asshole-on-the-Planet?_

Emmett had come back into the living room just as Isabella was walking out. I felt him walk up behind me but he didn't say a word for a moment. We both just stood there watching as she walked out to the street and around to the passenger side while Dickhead Crowley just sat there behind the wheel. He didn't move an inch to go get her door for her and help her in. No fucking manners at all. Isabella turned back to the house and waved and we both waved in return but I could tell Emmett was just as dazed as I was.

"Can you fucking believe that?" he muttered to me in a low voice as the van started up.

"No. The guy's a total prick," I murmured back to him. "What's she doing with him?"

"I dunno," he said dazedly as we watched the van drive away. "Crowley's a complete douche."

I walked back into the kitchen in silence and grabbed my books to take them up to my room. When I spotted the empty Valentine candy box on the table I picked it up angrily, intending to throw it and my hopes and dreams into the trash. But when I stood over the trash can I couldn't make my hand let go of that little box. Instead I headed upstairs to my room with my things.

After shutting and locking my door I set my books down on the bed and made my way to my closet, where I had a new pair of Converse shoes, still in their shoebox. I took the shoes out of the box and set them on the floor in my closet. Then I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out the three little candy hearts that I had secreted away, having been unable to eat them and break the magical spell. I put them inside the little Valentine box and set it in the shoebox, replacing the lid and tucking that shoebox into the far corner of my closet, up on the top shelf.

I had decided I would hang onto those little hearts and that little box and my hopes and dreams. At least for a little while.

**August 27…8 months ago**

**BPOV (25 years old)**

I'd been so focused on making my way through the crowd toward Edward at the bar that I was confused when I heard my name being called. Then I realized someone to my right was trying to get my attention and I turned to look over for the source of the interruption.

Tyler Crowley. My earliest mistake when it came to potential dates and boyfriends. He was sitting with Mike Newton and I figured they were probably reminiscing about high school because I knew Tyler did that a lot. I smiled and waved to be polite but I had no desire to stop and speak with him. I really wanted to say hi to Edward, so I pushed my way through the crowd.

**March 2…10 years ago**

**BPOV (16 years old, 11****th**** grade****)**

I'd been tutoring Edward for several weeks and it was beginning to have some positive effects. He was doing better in school, he seemed more interested in his studies, andhe had begun taking responsibility for himself more and more. I was proud of him and I told him so. He was actually a pretty nice kid. He was smart, but I'd already figured that out. He also seemed a little more mature than you would have imagined for an eighth grader.

It's funny, but he kind of became my friend. I spent more time with him than I really spent with any other person from my own school. Talking to him and of course, working with him, actually made me feel a little more secure about myself.

I hadn't really dated when I'd lived in Phoenix and when I moved to Forks I really didn't know anyone initially, although a lot of people were very nice and friendly to me. I'd kind of kept to myself that first semester. I'd been asked out a number of times by several boys but I had my job in the evenings or had too much homework and also just really didn't feel very sure of myself to try the dating thing.

Charlie had voiced his concerns on numerous occasions about my lack of a social life. I'm not sure he necessarily intended for me to begin dating up a storm, but the occasional outing was probably fine if it got me out of the house and with other teens my age once in a while.

So for whatever reason and maybe it had a little bit to do with how Edward helped me to view myself, I'd finally agreed to go out with Tyler Crowley when he persistently asked me out at the beginning of February. I was secretly flattered that he seemed interested in pursuing me. He was every girl's dream date at Forks High, though I didn't know him very well at all. We shared no classes together, I just saw him around school with his entourage of buddies and fans.

When I'd agreed to go out with him on Friday night, he hinted around that he'd like to also take me to the Valentine's Dance at the high school the following evening. I wasn't sure what to tell him at first because I kind of felt like I wanted to see how Friday night went, before committing to a second date. But I finally relented.

The Friday night date had been okay. Tyler had picked me up from the Cullen's house when I was done tutoring Edward at five thirty. I wasn't sure at the time why he had wanted to pick me up from there although I later figured out that maybe he'd just wanted Emmett to see that he had a date with me. It was like he was showing off or something, although that made little sense since it was just me.

That evening we went to the Spoons-n-Forks for dinner. I thought about how Edward and I hadn't gone for a milkshake that day and it made me feel a little bad. That was kind of a fun way to start our sessions. But dinner with Tyler that evening went well. We both got cheeseburgers, fries and cherry Cokes. After dinner Tyler polished off a sundae while I worked on a slice of apple pie for dessert. He talked a lot about his sports and activities and I asked questions when I didn't understand some of the things he explained.

When we had finished eating dinner he took me home and walked me to the door. He asked if he could come in; that we could maybe hang out; watch TV or put in a DVD or something. I told him I wasn't allowed to have a guy in when Charlie wasn't home and he seemed a little annoyed by that. But then he shrugged and gave me a kiss and told me he'd see me the next evening for the Valentine's Dance.

The next evening Tyler discovered that I wasn't much of a dancer. I twisted my ankle after the first few dances and had to sit out much of the rest of the evening. Tyler seemed frustrated that we weren't out dancing and snuggling up on the dance floor like the rest of the couples there. We left the dance early and he took me home.

Charlie was already there by the time we arrived, so I invited Tyler in to watch TV but he declined, saying I should probably just ice my ankle and get some rest. Maybe I should have pointed out that I could do that while watching TV but I just wanted the embarrassment of the night to be over. So he kissed me goodnight and left me on my doorstep.

In the two weeks that followed Valentine's Day, Tyler regularly dropped me off at the Cullen's and picked me up after I was done tutoring. We went out on a few more dates together though I began to have a sneaking suspicion that he really wasn't very interested in me or finding anything out about me; he was just interested in claiming me as his current girlfriend. I think he expected more out of me than I was willing to give. He became impatient and tried to convince me how great things would be if allowed our relationship to progress physically. Somehow I managed to work my dad into the conversation and Tyler drove me home in a huff that evening.

The following day it became even more apparent that Tyler wasn't much of a gentleman. He took me to the Cullen's, but he was moody and distant and barely spoke. When he came back to pick me up afterwards, I was still so flustered that I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing and somehow managed to clumsily shut the car door on my hand. I yelped and began tearing up instantly, because that had hurt just really badly.

Tyler just sat there, in the driver's seat, yelling at me that I should be more careful and less clumsy; yelling at me to go back into the Cullen's house and get some ice.

As I climbed back out of the van he just sat there, like I was nothing more than an annoyance to be dealt with.

**EPOV (13 years old, 8****th**** grade)**

I had just shut the front door behind Isabella moments ago when the doorbell rang. I went back in to the living room and opened it up and there she stood, heartbreak and hurt and tears and anger, all rolled up into one.

"What's wrong, Isabella? What happened? Come on inside!"

She was grabbing her hand and crying and she stuttered that she needed ice; that she'd shut her hand in the door of the van. I looked outside to see Crowley, just sitting behind the wheel of his van, drumming his fingertips on the doorframe, waiting for her. He wasn't even looking toward the house to see if she was okay.

_What an asshole._

"Come on," I put my arm around her and pulled her gently inside, gingerly taking her purse off of her shoulder, being careful to avoid her bruised hand. I sat her down at the kitchen table and I got a plastic bag and filled it with crushed ice. I gently laid it on her hand, sitting down and pulling my chair up closer to her. "Do you think anything's broken?" I asked, worriedly.

She was looking down, not making eye contact; in pain and probably embarrassed. She shook her head, silent tears dripping from her nose and chin. I quickly got up and grabbed some tissues, sitting back down and dabbing at her face for her.

"It just really hurts, doesn't it?" I asked quietly, hunching down and trying to look up into her averted eyes.

She nodded, taking the tissues from my hand and wiping at her face and nose.

"He didn't even try to help you?" I asked her softly.

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and a few more big fat tears escaped and rolled down her cheek. She shook her head slowly.

_What a fucking son of a bitch._

"Do you want me to tell him to leave? Emmett can drive you home when he gets here; he should be here any minute now."

She sniffed and nodded and looked up at me with those big brown eyes floating in sadness and hurt. I tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Okay. You wait right here," I said as I got up to go relay the message.

I went to the front door feeling angrier and angrier with every step. I don't know what Crowley thought when he saw me sprinting at his van across the yard, yelling at the top of my lungs and swearing at him. But he was willing to take me on; I was only a thirteen year old eighth grader and he was an eighteen year old senior. He got out of the van and was ready for me when I got there.

I'd really have to watch the whole thing on instant replay to know exactly what happened, because I really didn't see it all happen. All I know is that after being on the ground for a few minutes, under Tyler Crowley and his fists, I was suddenly on top of him, beating the shit out of him with Emmett by my side on our front lawn. Emmett must have arrived home while I was occupied with Crowley and his fists. He must have figured out this had something to do with Isabella.

Eventually Tyler managed to get away from us and he ran back to his van, hopping in and driving off.

Emmett and I stood there, breathing hard and bleeding, watching the retreating taillights of Tyler Crowley's van. I'd gotten a shiner and several cuts on my cheekbone and browbone. Emmett's nose was bleeding and he was wiping at a cut on his lip. He turned and high-fived me as Crowley's van made a left and disappeared from the end of our street. It's good for brothers to have some type of activity they like to do together. We sure enjoyed the shit out of beating Crowley's fucked up ass for hurting Isabella Swan.

We turned and headed back to the house and that was when we heard it. The laughter. She was standing on the porch and the tears were gone. Laughter was bubbling up from her as she watched the two of us return from battle. We all went back inside and she got us two bags of ice to match hers and we all hung out in the kitchen, icing our wounds. She smiled at us as we sat there laughing and bleeding.

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

I'd wiped down the bar and tossed the rag under the bar but had missed the shelf and it landed on the floor. I bent down to pick it up and toss it in with the other dirty rags and then I grabbed a clean one from the stack. Before I'd even looked back up I felt her presence. I got that familiar jittery little feeling in my spine that told me she was right there.

When I stood back upright she was settling herself down onto the barstool directly in front of me. For a moment I was completely unable to move or speak. I was the proverbial deer in the headlights. She smiled tentatively.

"Hello, Edward." Her voice was soft but it was the only thing I heard; all other sounds in the bar instantly receded.

_Answer her, Edward. Say something. Don't just stare._

"Hey, Bella." I smiled at her. I was suddenly really glad I hadn't slunk away into the recesses of Cullen's to avoid her. "How's it going?" I asked her. "You look good." She really did. She always did.

"Thank you." She smiled and blushed slightly. "I'm doing well, thanks. You look really good too." She blushed a little more deeply as the words left her mouth. "Welcome back to Forks."

I laughed. "Thanks. Can't say I thought I'd be moving back here but for now it feels like the right thing to do. What brings you in here alone tonight?"

"Do you remember Angela Webber?" I watched her as she spoke; looked her face over. I knew her face so well; I saw it so often in my mind. I had memorized it over the years.

"Angela? Sure, of course." Thank goodness I remembered I had to respond.

"I'm supposed to meet her here." She glanced down at her watch. "I guess I'm a little early and Angela always runs a little late." She smiled. I realized that I was staring at her mouth. It was kind of hard not to. She had a pretty mouth, expressive lips, which curled and curved ever so slightly with each little flicker of emotion. I knew, because I'd watched her lips through the years. I'd even kissed those lips once. Only once. And it had ended quite abruptly and somewhat painfully. But I didn't want to think about that right now.

"Is she here to visit her folks?" I asked, dragging my mind out of my reverie.

"Actually, no. She's been hired to teach at the high school, so she and I are going to be colleagues."

"You're kidding!"

"No. It's true. She's moving back to Forks, too. Seems like there's a lot of that going around these days." She arched her brow at me and grinned, referring to my own move back home.

I smiled more broadly at her. She was just so lovely. Still.

"Looks like all the forks in the road lead back to Forks," I observed dryly.

She laughed and I grinned at her because I just couldn't help but feel so happy that she had come in and had come to say hi.

"There must be something magical about this place," she said.

"I sure hope so!" I replied with a smile.

'_Be mine.' 'Always.' 'Will you?'_

_I could do with some magic._

* * *

**A/N: I could do with a little magic too. Shoot me a review and let me know how it's going. Confusing? Not too bad? Liking it? Hating it?**


	4. Upside to a Beatdown

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: The conversation in the bar continues, as do the memories from ten years ago. A few more puzzle pieces and clues to their history. And more horny Little Edward, because I love him so. **

**I'm not inclined to infringe. This stuff...well, the basics, not Pissy Youngward...belong to Stephenie Meyer. But Junior Highward is all mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Upside to a Beatdown**

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

I glanced over in the direction of Tyler Crowley, sitting with Mike Newton on the far side of the bar.

"So, Bella, your entrance didn't go unnoticed…" She looked in the direction I nodded my head before looking back at me.

"You mean Tyler and Mike?"

I nodded again, smiling a little and she just rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," she replied with a sigh. "They both waved and he called out a hello. I'd stop and talk to Mike but I have no desire to spend much time talking to Tyler."

"Is it because the ex-Homecoming King is now the Dirty Laundry King?" I smirked at her.

She giggled. It was such a lovely sound. It made me feel warm and happy. I'd always loved the sound of her laughter.

She leaned in toward me and spoke a little more quietly. "I guess when you own the town's only Laundromat and drycleaners that does make you the "Dirty Laundry King," she acknowledged with a grin.

"And Tyler does have quite a bit of dirty laundry of his own, besides what turns up at the Wash and Dry," I added, smiling a little more now.

"I'd imagine most of the women of Forks in his age group are part of that dirty laundry. Me included." She looked down at her hands, folded on the bar counter.

I frowned, instantly regretting I had led the conversation in this direction. "Bella, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. You are _not_ part of his dirty laundry. Don't even say that."

She sighed. "Oh, I know, Edward. I just still wish I could rip that page out of my life's book and burn it. I was very naïve back then; I didn't know the first thing about Tyler Crowley or the kind of person he was. I wish I'd known back then that I was part of some stupid high school senior bet."

"Me too," I said honestly, feeling my frown deepen. "I've always felt bad about that; I would have told you if I'd known, Bella."

"Edward, you were just a boy. How were you supposed to know that Tyler and his buddies were placing bets on who would be the first one I'd agree to go out with here in Forks? I don't even know what the big deal was. For some reason the 'new girl'was of interest to them and Tyler just happened to be the first one who was confident enough to persistently ask the Chief's daughter out on a date until she gave in."

I nodded. "I know; but I would have told you if I'd known. Emmett had no idea. He was as upset as me. He didn't really hang out with those guys; he was always too busy with Rose. I'm just glad for you that it ended pretty quickly."

She grinned back at me. "I have you and Emmett to thank for that. You two Cullen boys were so sweet to stand up for me. I'm just sorry you got so beaten up that day."

"Yeah." I chuckled at the memory. "I'd hate to think of how I would have fared if Emmett hadn't arrived home when he did. Crowley might have disfigured me for life."

"You did look pretty bad those next few days. I had no idea you were going out there to fight with him. I thought you were just going to ask him to leave."

I smiled. And then I realized what an idiot I'd been this whole time, talking to her and never even thinking to ask what she wanted to drink.

"I'm sorry; I never even thought to ask…can I get you something? You're here at the bar, after all…" I smiled, gesturing at her perched atop her barstool. "It's on me. What would you like?"

"How about a tall gin and tonic with two limes?" She was suddenly smirking at me.

"Really?" I asked, smiling in response. She nodded, her eyes crinkling up at the corners with her smile.

_She remembered that was my personal drink of choice?_

"It's become my usual," she volunteered with a shrug as she leaned a little closer.

_No girly drink with an umbrella for Bella. She was still very no-nonsense. Well, she'd asked for two limes; maybe a little bit of nonsense. _

"Any preference for the gin?" I asked her, already suspecting her answer.

"I can't believe you need to ask; Tanqueray, of course!" she said, grinning a little more, but biting her lip as she did so.

"That's my girl! Coming right up!" For some reason it made me really happy to know that she remembered my preferred drink and that it had become hers now as well.

I moved away to the other side of the bar to get a highball glass so I could mix her drink. I glanced over and saw Bella's foe and former beau watching me and I started thinking back to that point in time ten years ago, right after the Tyler Crowley Beatdown.

**March 4…10 years ago**

**EPOV (13 years old, 8****th**** grade)**

On Wednesday afternoon, before Bella was due to come over, I looked at myself in the mirror as I was brushing my teeth; I really looked awful after Monday afternoon's fight with Tyler Crowley. I had a hell of a black eye. It actually wasn't so much black, as it was a collection of deep, dark purple, blue, green, and brown. Today some yellow was also beginning to appear. It was a virtual rainbow of destruction. The gashes on my cheekbone and brow bone were both healing nicely but then again, how nice can a gash look, even if it is healing?

Emmett had walked away with a fat lip, after it had gotten cut from a punch to the mouth. His bloody nose had cleaned up fine; it wasn't broken, maybe a little swollen, but not bad. I was the one who looked like my face had been hit by a truck.

My dad had been concerned with what had happened to both Emmett and me. Actually he had been furious. Emmett however, had a way with words and a way with bending the truth and omitting certain facts and embellishing others. And he had such an honest-looking baby face when he was trying to hoodwink a parent that my dad fell for his nonsense.

Emmett had explained that I'd gotten into an argument with Tyler Crowley, a senior, over his mistreatment of Isabella Swan. Crowley had then promptly started a fist fight with me. And since I was only thirteen years old, Emmett had come to my assistance, family being important beyond anything else, blah, blah, blah. Complete typical Emmett horseshit. I had a hard time controlling myself and not bursting into raucous laughter as I listened, nodding my head thoughtfully while he explained to our father.

It really was close to the truth and fairly believable, and so my dad had chosen to believe him. That was probably easier on his blood pressure anyway. He had tried to patch us both up, to the best of his ability, good doctor that he was. He had that lofty position, after all, and he couldn't very well ignore our medical needs and send us out into the community looking like hell.

My mother had merely stood there, shaking her head, aghast at what had happened to both of her sweet boys as our dad applied medicine and butterfly bandages to my cuts and inspected Emmett's fat lip and checked his nose to make sure it wasn't broken.

Forks is a small town. Word travels fast. Emmett also knows who the best people are to tell important information to, especially if you want that information to spread throughout the community. The story I had been hearing, for the past two days, was pretty wonderful and painted me in a very favorable light.

Tyler Crowley had been a jerk to his girlfriend, the very lovely and intriguing, relatively new girl, Isabella Swan, daughter of Forks' Very Finest, Chief Charlie Swan. Even Edward Cullen, quasi-delinquent thirteen-year-old junior high school kid, knew that the way Crowley had acted was not the way you treated a young lady. So once Edward took it upon himself to point this out and discuss this with Tyler in the Cullen's front yard, and that discussion had gone terribly awry, Emmett Cullen had arrived home in the nick of time and jumped into the fray to save his younger brother from serious physical injury at the hands of a high school senior.

I had to admit, it sounded like a good beginning for a made for TV movie. It sort of brought tears to your eyes and a lump to your throat. Most importantly, it pointed out to the populace just what a douche Tyler Crowley was. He could kiss his undeserved popularity goodbye.

Emmett now had a slew of admirers at Forks High and I was Mr. Knight in Shining Armor over at Forks Junior High, in spite of my battered face, for standing up to an asinine eighteen year old on behalf of a fragile beauty. A lot of the girls in my classes started looking at me a little differently, but I only had eyes for one girl and she didn't attend my school.

But she was due to show up at my house any minute.

So, as I stood there looking at myself in the bathroom mirror, I realized there wasn't really much that could be done regarding my face. It would heal in time and the rainbow would disappear. I had other problems to ponder, far worse problems, I realized, as I looked at my reflection. I'd had a growth spurt last summer and was already five feet ten inches tall. So now I was tall and gangly and I hadn't filled out yet at all. My weight was lagging behind my height. I looked positively rail thin and my clothes hung on me. I had opted for a sweatshirt today; it added some much needed bulk to my beanpole frame. At least I had minty fresh breath. I rinsed my toothbrush and smiled into the mirror, instantly lamenting my sparkling braces.

_Fuck._

When the doorbell rang I hurried to answer it before my mom could maybe get there and embarrass me somehow. I could just hear her, "_Oh, Edward, you changed your clothes, combed your hair, and brushed your teeth! What perfect timing, since Isabella was coming over! _

_Yeah, that'd be a fucking hoot._

I opened the door and Bella stood there in tight jeans and a snug, dark blue hoodie with a little lacey shirt poking out from underneath. Her hand had a bandage wrapped around it. She had some little weird brown moccasins on her feet. Her hair was up in a ponytail but a few of the strands were escaping. I noticed all of these things about her. How could I not? She was beautiful.

She gasped as soon as she saw me. "Oh my gosh! Edward…your face! How awful!"

I felt like some sort of monster: hideously discolored face, dark and crusting scabs, barely recognizable humanity. As I looked at her, her expression changed from surprise, to horror, to disgust. I suddenly felt ill and was on the verge of telling her I wanted to just skip today's session when two unbelievable things happened.

First, she began talking, explaining the facial expressions I had seen.

"Oh, Edward, your poor face! Your eye—that's got to be the worst black eye I've ever seen! That Tyler Crowley is just the worst possible kind of creep. I can't believe he did that to you!"

That was all quite nice to hear, because I realized she wasn't horrified by me, or disgusted by me. It was _him, Tyler Crowley,_ who horrified and disgusted her and she felt dreadful for what had happened _to_ me.

But the second, even more wonderful, unbelievable thing that happened, was that she reached up and placed her palm gently against my cheek, touching my battered face.

_She touched me._

In my mind this would have been where the orchestra would have burst into a sweeping and uplifting and romantically expanding composition. I suddenly began feeling an uplifting and romantically expanding sensation going on in my jeans and realized I'd better focus on something other than Broadway musicals or the fact that this sweet and beautiful high school girl was touching my face with her soft hand and cool fingertips.

"You poor thing!" she said, sounding so dismayed. "I owe you big time." She seemed to think about it for a moment before she continued speaking. "Bring your schoolwork, Edward. We can go to the diner and work there. We'll get ice cream sundaes; my treat. It's the least I can do after what that obnoxious idiot did to you."

I happily grabbed my schoolwork and followed Bella out to her truck, admiring the movement of her hips once again. I had really missed our rides to and from the Spoons-n-Forks. It had always been a nice little chance to visit and chat a bit before getting down to work. But in the past couple weeks, when she had been dating Crowley, he had dropped her off and picked her up and our lovely rides together had disappeared. I was so happy now to have that opportunity back.

I was happy for another reason as well. The other day, when the three of us had been sitting in the kitchen, icing down our injuries, she had told Emmett and me that she would prefer it if we would call her Bella. She told us 'Isabella' was her legal name, but her friends had always called her 'Bella' and she would like for us to do the same. So that made me a friend and not just some dumbshit kid she tutored.

And today we were about to head to the Spoons-n-Forks together to work there and have ice cream sundaes. March was really shaping up to be a good month.

She climbed into her truck and I followed her, opening and then shutting her door for her before heading over to the passenger side. She leaned across the bench seat and unlocked the passenger side door for me.

"Hop in, kid!" she said, smiling brightly as I opened the door.

I climbed in, slamming the heavy door and then I sat there for a minute, a little disappointed and deflated. I deliberated about whether to say anything or not. Finally I decided to just say it.

_What the hell, right?_

"Um, Bella, I'd rather you didn't call me 'kid,' please. That sounds kind of childish and well…I'm thirteen and I'll be fourteen in a couple of months. That's not so young."

She looked over at me as she started up the truck. Then she smiled warmly and shook her head, "You're right, Edward, fourteen isn't so young. I shouldn't have called you 'kid.' It's not like I'm that much older than you; I'm only sixteen myself."

_Three years. That's not such a big age difference. And I'm bigger, height- wise; though maybe not weight-wise. Shit, I need to start eating more. Maybe I should have a really big sundae. Maybe I could start working out a little, too; build some muscle. I could always use Emmett's weight set._

"So you're sixteen and a junior in high school? Like Alice right?" I asked her.

"Well, actually, no. I have senior standing this year."

"So you're really a senior this year; like Emmett? I don't understand how you can be only sixteen years old and yet you're a senior. Emmett's already eighteen." I squinted in the glare of the sun trying to figure this mystery out. I figured in that moment that she must be a genius.

She glanced over at me and smiled as she drove. "Ever since I started high school in Phoenix I've taken summer school classes every summer. My summers were boring and I always liked school, so I've just gotten ahead fast. I'm a junior now, but with senior standing, credit-wise. I'm actually going to graduate at the end of this year and start classes in college in the summer. Plus, I have some Advanced Placement courses, so that puts me ahead with college credits already too."

_So she wouldn't be at Forks High next year, when I started ninth grade; my freshman year. She would be gone already; off to some college somewhere._

My mind was suddenly reeling with that dismal information but she was continuing to explain and I tuned back in to listen to her.

"I've taken summer school classes and had a full schedule enough semesters that it equaled up to a whole year of high school classes. If I take college classes this summer, after I graduate from high school, and take the maximum load both semesters next year at college and in the following summer, I could be a junior in college that following year."

I was astonished. I'd never heard anything like it. She was phenomenal. She'd be two years ahead of students her age.

"Are you some kind of a genius, or something, Bella?" I'd decided I had to ask her. I wanted to know because if she was brilliant or something, I would know instantly that I'd never match up.

She laughed. "No, not quite, Edward. I mean, I guess I'm fairly smart, but I guess I'm mostly driven. I'd like to just get ahead and get on with my life, you know? I know what I want to do, and I'm ready to start getting there."

"What do you want to do?" I asked her as she pulled her truck into the parking lot of the Spoons-n-Forks diner.

"Isn't it obvious?" she smiled over at me as she parked the truck and removed the key.

"No, not to me. What do you want to be?" I asked her as we climbed out of the truck.

"I want to be a teacher. I'm tutoring you, Edward, because I really enjoy helping someone learn something. I've helped other students learn things, throughout my own school years. You know, I've been a study-buddy with a friend here and there; I worked with some fourth graders when I was in seventh grade, helping them with math facts and reading skills. In ninth grade, when I was living in Arizona, I worked with some other ninth graders that would go help out seventh graders at the junior high school and work on their math skills. It's always been something I've enjoyed doing."

"So you enjoy tutoring me?" _I could be hopeful, couldn't I?_

"Of course, silly! Why? Did you think I didn't?" Her smile was infectious.

"Well, I mean, you're getting paid, you know?"

"But that doesn't mean I'm not having fun working with you, Edward!"

I was officially on Cloud-Fucking-Nine. She said it was fun working with me. I got this warm feeling in my chest and I kind of felt like bursting into song, but this wasn't a musical and it would probably be frowned upon, here inside the Spoons-n-Forks. So I kept my mouth shut while I tried to tone down my face-splitting grin.

Bella waved and smiled to the waitress, pointing toward the back of the diner, and just led the way to a booth.

"I used to work here in the fall and early winter," she explained to me over her shoulder. "I had to quit, though, because the hours got too late and I was having a hard time getting all of my schoolwork done."

As we walked between the tables to the section with the booths, I realized that people were looking at us. Watching us. Much as I wanted people to be reflecting on what a handsome looking couple we made, realistically I knew that they were probably wondering what the hell had happened to my face instead. I saw two people point and lean close to whisper to each other, so maybe they had heard Emmett's version of the news and knew that I was the Cullen Kid or that Bella was the Chief's Daughter.

Bella waved to two guys who were seated at another booth before we sat down. I recognized them as Ben Cheney and Mike Newton, both seniors in Emmett's grade…well, in Bella's grade, too, come to find out. They were watching our every move. Cheney played baseball and was the senior class president or some such thing and Newton played the big three: football, basketball and baseball just like Emmett. Newton's family also owned The Outdoorsman, Forks big sporting goods store, so he might have had a slight edge with the sports thing.

Bella took her place on one side of the booth and I slid into the opposite side. We both looked at the list of fountain treats. She ordered the Hot Fudge Sundae and I said I wanted the Banana Split, hoping the extra calories would latch onto my beanpole frame and help bulk me up. I hoped my order didn't seem vulgar. _'Banana'_, you know? When you're in junior high you're really aware of all of that kind of shit, but she didn't seem to care; she didn't have any kind of adverse reaction to my preference.

I unpacked some schoolwork from my backpack. There was an essay I had to write for my English class. I had already made an outline and she kind of looked it over, asking questions and pointing out a few things I needed to add or change around. We kept spinning that piece of notebook paper around and around on the table, so she could look at it, make a few comments and then I could look at it, and make some adjustments, and so on.

After a few minutes of that, she stood up and said, "Spinning this paper back and forth is making me dizzy and giving me a headache. Scoot over."

And with that, she stood up and slid into my side of the booth.

I couldn't breathe. I was now officially dizzy as well. I didn't have a headache like she did but my pants were feeling a little restrictive.

We actually usually sat next to each other when she was tutoring me at my house. But that was at the kitchen table, where we each had our own chair. When she slid into the booth next to me, and we were on that one bench seat, she just seemed so much closer and I couldn't help but notice how much smaller she was than me.

I couldn't actually move all the way down against the wall, to make more room between us because my backpack was there on the bench next to me and I sure as hell was not going to move it. I must have had horn-dog's intuition, because I had placed it on the side of me that was nearest the wall. Imagine if I'd placed it on the outermost side of me! It would have been an effective barrier between my hard and hormonal body and her softer, so much more mature one.

Her leg brushed lightly against mine, and I almost jumped out of my skin. I swear I could feel the heat coming off of her body and I know my own body was suddenly overheated because I could feel myself sweating.

I felt a wave of relief when the waitress came over and set our ice cream creations down in front of us. But that feeling of relief was short-lived when Bella picked up her spoon and began eating her ice cream, licking the spoon. I nearly swallowed my own tongue. And as I kept watching her I thought I would pass out and slide off the booth and under the table in an ice-cream-erotica induced coma.

Somehow I managed to eat my banana split, only occasionally allowing myself a glance in her direction as she licked and sucked at the ice cream on that spoon. I have to admit, I was physically uncomfortable during most of that dessert. I knew, from this day forward, I would have a new respect and fondness for Hot Fudge Sundaes as well as a whole collection of new visual images to recall during those intimate and personal moments I seemed to be needing more and more often.

I finished up the rough draft of my essay and then I realized that I needed a little help with my algebra. I had to scoot towards her to pull my backpack out, to get my math work. For a few moments I was leaning up against her, touching her body with mine, from my shoulder all the way down to my calf. It was a sensation I would reminisce about often, privately, of course, in the days to come.

Once I'd gotten my math and opened up the book, it dawned on me that if I wrote small, she just might be forced to lean over a little more closely toward me to read what I'd written.

_Oh, I was such a sneaky, horny, little bastard! _

I don't remember much of what she said. I tried to pay attention, but the scent of strawberries wafting off her body and hair and the occasional feel of her leg against mine, pretty much blotted it all out, even at the time. An awareness of any of those things was overshadowed by the odd jittery feeling that seemed to sort of hum through my system. It was the first time I'd ever felt something like that. It was amazing to think that a girl could do that to me.

**BPOV (16 years old, 11****th**** grade)**

The day I slammed my hand in Tyler Crowley's van was a wake-up call. I went back to the Cullen's house for ice and when Edward answered the door and pulled me inside I just felt so stupid. I was hurt, both physically and emotionally. I couldn't believe I had thought Tyler Crowley was worth my time. He had been insensitive and rude.

Edward was so kind and worried and sweet. He got me a bag of ice and sat down with me, worried I might have been broken something. I couldn't even talk. Not just because of the pain and tears but because I was so embarrassed I had allowed myself to be treated so poorly by someone like Tyler.

And yet this boy, this thirteen year old _boy_, knew that what I was putting up with wasn't right. He gently wiped my tears away with a tissue. That one simple action would never have occurred to Tyler Crowley. And yet Edward had been the one people thought was a problem child; verging on juvenile delinquency. How ridiculous!

Edward asked if I wanted him to tell Tyler to leave and I nodded. I didn't want to look at Tyler's face; didn't want to talk to him or hear his voice. Edward got up and left the kitchen. The next thing I knew I heard yelling and swearing and the slam of the van door outside. I stood up from the kitchen table so quickly that the chair fell over backward loudly onto the kitchen floor.

I dashed out the front door to see Edward and Tyler yelling and punching at each other. I stood there in shock for a moment before I began yelling at Tyler to leave Edward alone and just please leave. Emmett drove up then, looking at the spectacle in the yard in front of their home. He took one look at me, standing on the porch with my hand wrapped with the bag of ice, yelling at Tyler to leave Edward alone and just get out of here.

Emmett ran over to where they were fighting and looked back at me once more to make sure he had read the situation right. At this point Tyler was sitting on top of Edward, punching the younger boy as Edward punched him in return. Emmett reached down and pulled Tyler off of Edward roughly and suddenly the two Cullen boys were on top of Tyler, pounding on him with their fists. I heard Edward yelling at him.

"What's wrong with you, you motherfucker? Don't you know how to treat a girl? Don't you know that she's special? Get the fuck out of here! You leave Isabella alone, you goddamned jackass!"

Somehow Tyler got away from them and ran back to his truck. As he drove off I watched the two Cullen boys, standing there breathing heavily and catching their breath. When Emmett high-fived Edward it just struck me funny. I was so relieved to be done with Tyler and relieved that neither Edward nor Emmett seemed too horribly hurt. I started laughing and couldn't stop. They both looked up at me in surprise, and came back up to the porch and we went into the house.

I got them both ice bags and the three of us sat at the kitchen table as they cleaned themselves up. Edward was explaining to Emmett what had happened. Edward was still so incensed at Tyler's actions, or maybe complete lack of actions was more to the point. We were eventually all laughing, rethinking what had happened. I was just so glad that Emmett had showed up when he did because I hated to see Edward get hurt on my behalf.

Two days later, when I showed up at the Cullen's home for tutoring, I had been shocked at Edward's appearance. That poor kid looked just awful! He seemed instantly upset about my reaction to his appearance, and then I felt bad, because I knew it had been my fault. I told him he had the worst black eye I'd ever seen, and that Tyler Crowley was just the worst kind of creep.

_Really, to have beaten up a kid four years younger than himself…who does that?_

I felt so bad. I put my hand against Edward's face to see if it was swollen, trying not to hurt him. I told him I owed him big time. He had gotten rid of an embarrassment for me, he had stood up to him for me, and he had taken a beating for it. I decided to take him for an ice cream sundae. It wouldn't really soften the blow, or blows, rather, but maybe he would like me treating him a little bit.

I called him 'kid' and he asked me not to do that. I hadn't thought about it before I'd said it, but he probably was sensitive about being younger after being roughed up by an older guy. I told him I was only a few years older than him.

He seemed surprised to find out I was going to graduate a year early. I explained how I'd managed that because I thought he might like to know what was possible if you put your mind to it. I knew he was already turning himself around in school in the short time we'd been working together. He was earning a lot of A's and B's on current work and his grade point average was slowly but steadily on the rise.

Edward asked me what I wanted to do after college and I was a little surprised that he didn't know. I guess I'd never mentioned wanting to teach, so how would he have really known? A thirteen year old isn't going to be thinking about careers. He seemed surprised when I told him, and even more surprised to find out I enjoyed working with him.

I could tell Edward was pleased to know I actually enjoyed our time together. He probably felt his efforts paid off if he was pleasing several people: his parents and me. I realized with him being thirteen, he was probably also a little self-conscious, so I think it must have made him feel a little less so around me, knowing I liked helping him and that this wasn't merely a business transaction.

We sat at a booth in the diner and ordered our ice cream sundaes and started in on his schoolwork. He worked on an outline and rough draft for an essay. I was impressed with his vocabulary. He even spelled things correctly for the most part. I thought Edward was bright and rather well-spoken for a thirteen year old.

I knew a lot of students in high school who couldn't spell very well. There had been times I'd been passed a note from a friend, only to have trouble deciphering it because it was written so poorly. I sometimes had the urge to fix the note with a red pen and return it to the sender to be re-written. I guess I really am cut out to be a teacher.

It was really kind of nice, just sitting there in the diner, leisurely eating our sundaes, getting through his schoolwork. Maybe the change of atmosphere was a good idea. Edward seemed to really focus on me as I explained things to him. He was a good listener and worked cooperatively and diligently to complete his assignments. I was glad to see it had become so important to him to do well in school.

There was no other explanation for his behavior.

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

I set her drink down on a napkin in front of her a few moments later. "One Tanqueray and tonic with two limes," I announced.

"Thank you, Edward." She picked up her drink and stirred it with the straw and then took a sip of it, licking her lower lip afterward. "Oh, that tastes perfect!" She smiled. She looked down at her watch then and looked around the bar. "You know, I should probably go get a table and wait for Angela; she should be here any minute." She hopped off her bar stool and stood there for a moment.

I had been so caught up in our conversation and my memories and thoughts I had completely forgotten that she was meeting Angela Webber tonight. I had to say something quick before she slipped away.

"It's really nice to see you again, Bella." I meant that so sincerely and I hoped she would realize that and not just think it was some trite line.

"It's nice to see you, too, Edward," she said with a faint blush. She paused for a beat. "So…are you living with your folks, now that you're back?"

I smiled. "Yeah, but not for long. I'm going to rent an apartment. It's really hard coming back here and moving in with my parents again after living in an apartment in Seattle for two years. I need my own space."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. As much as I love my dad, it's nice to have a place to call my own."

I nodded in understanding.

Thank you for the drink, Edward," she said with a smile as she slid her purse up her arm and picked up the glass and napkin.

"You're more than welcome, Bella."

I watched her walk away toward an empty side table. It seemed I always watched her walk away. I needed to go sit in the office and find some busywork to do. Mostly I just needed to reflect quietly on this most recent encounter with Isabella Swan, and the fact that I would be seeing more of her now that I was back here, living in Forks.

Shehad surprised me, coming in here to Cullen's Bar and Grill tonight. I didn't expect her to show up here tonight but that was always the case. I hadn't expected her since day one, all those years ago when she first showed up as my tutor in eighth grade. I was never expecting her, but she kept reentering my life with regularity, like she was supposed to be there.

Whatever trepidation I'd had when I first saw her tonight was now gone. We hadn't really talked about anything important but things felt a little smoothed over, regardless. I was glad we had spoken a little.

I had caught myself numerous times during our short conversation this evening staring at her mouth as she spoke. I had been so focused on those lips, thinking about how they had felt that one, single, singular time I had kissed her. I wondered if they would still feel as extraordinary now. I wondered if I would ever find that out. It honestly didn't look good for me. It seriously never had. The cards had always been stacked against me from day one and the odds were not in my favor.

Still, I can dream.

* * *

**A/N: Hmmm… a few more memories, a little more history. What are your thoughts? Would you care for a Hot Fudge Sundae? or maybe a Banana Split? Yeah, that's right...I said "banana" Or maybe you'd like a tall Tanqueray and tonic with two limes? That's what I'm having.**


	5. Old Friends

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: Same reunion night at Cullen's Bar and Grill. More interaction, more history and the arrival of an old friend. Believe it or not, this story WILL eventually move out of the bar and onto a different day progressing forward in time. Be patient with them...Edward has a lot to sort through...and he's almost off work for the night!**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Old Friends**

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

"You just gonna stand here all evening bullshitting, or are you actually going to work, boss man?"

The voice behind me had startled me, cutting into my thoughts as I kept an eye on Bella, watching as she seated herself alone at her table. I turned and looked over my shoulder to see James, looping an apron over his head.

"I've been working, unlike some people who don't show up on time," I said reproachfully, collecting some empty glasses from the bar and putting them in the tub to go to the dishwasher.

"Touché," James said with a grin as he tied the apron behind his back. "Sorry, Edward. Car problems. Dead battery. I should have called, but I just figured I'd get here as quickly as possible."

I shrugged. "I had you covered, James. It was kind of nice working the bar for a change."

"Working the bar and working the clientele?" he smirked, glancing over in Bella's direction.

"No," I said a little defensively, "just visiting with an old friend." I took one more glance over at Bella before I resumed my conversation with James. She was still seated alone with no one bothering her. I wondered fleetingly if she'd had dinner before she'd gotten here.

"Isn't that Chief Swan's daughter?" James asked, looking back over to where Bella sat. I nodded in reply, hoping he'd move onto something else.

"How do you know her, Edward? She's older. Didn't she graduate with Emmett?"

"She tutored me for a while when I was in eighth grade and she's a friend of Alice's. We've known each other a long time." I wanted to change the subject.

"Wait," James said. I could see the gears turning in his head. "Didn't she teach a couple classes at the high school during our senior year?"

_Fuck!_

"Yeah, she was a student teacher second semester," I said reluctantly. "Look, I've got to get some work done," I said, glancing back up at James as I redirected the conversation. "I'll be in the office if anyone needs me." I hooked a thumb over my shoulder, which was stupid; of course James knew where the office was. But then I decided to go put in an order for food first

"The office is that way," James pointed out to me like a wiseass as I headed towards the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes. "So I'm going to the kitchen first, _then_ I'm going to the office if anyone needs me. Garrett should be in any minute. You can work on bothering him for the rest of the evening; my shift is about over."

He smirked as he began filling a drink order.

Garrett was the assistant manager at Cullen's. He'd been here for about a year working with Emmett. He was a solid guy. Married with three small kids. Our schedules were perfect. Mondays through Thursdays Garrett opened before lunch until the dinner crowd began showing up. I took over from about five until we closed at one a.m. during the week. He could be home for dinners and spend the evening with his family those nights. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays I opened for the lunch crowd and had my evenings off. Garrett got to spend the day with his wife and kids and worked the nights when they would be going to bed anyway. He said his schedule was perfect for a husband with a family. He also said my schedule was perfect for a young guy with a social life.

Except I really didn't have a social life here in Forks. At least not yet.

I stopped into the kitchen and put in an order for some appetizers I thought Bella would like to share with Angela. Of course it would be on the house. There was something new on our menu and I thought she might really enjoy it. It was right up her 's had a pretty good variety of foods with a kind of multi-cultural flair. We were trying to bring a little _exotica_ into Forks. The _Tapas Plate_ was a combination of Spanish appetizers, including some marinated olives; potato, onion and spicy chorizo tortilla, which was an egg dish, similar to a quiche; barbecued pork ribs; spiced clams and grilled shrimp.

Once I had placed that order, I did indeed head to the office, glancing over at Bella once more on my way. At the very least, I had to sit down and sort through my thoughts.

I smiled to myself, thinking about how I was springing for Bella's appetizers tonight. It made me think of her, so often springing for my milkshakes or sodas years ago. My mom had quickly figured out that Bella was often using her own money on me and she immediately increased her weekly pay to compensate. I think Mom figured the positive influence Bella had had on me was worth a few more dollars per week. My mom hadn't realized that the real positive influence was the crush I'd developed on a girl three years my senior.

**Late March…10 years ago**

**EPOV (13 years old, 8th grade)**

That first time Bella and I went to the Spoons-n-Forks Diner for an ice cream sundae, two days after the fight with Tyler Crowley, would always be my first date in my mind. I knew it hadn't been a real date and it certainly hadn't been a date in her mind but my adolescent mind just preferred to think of it that way. I was going to call it like I saw it…I might as well get my first date out of the way with a girl like Bella Swan.

In the days and weeks that followed, I'd actually gotten a lot of mileage out of that "date" in my overactive imagination. I'd imagined her slamming her ice cream spoon down onto the table, flinging her napkin to the floor and announcing that she couldn't live this charade any longer, and then turning to me and grabbing me and attacking my mouth, making out with me in the diner booth, her hands roaming all over my lust-filled body, until the waitress came over and asked us to please leave if we couldn't control our feelings for each other because this was a public place, after all.

Of course there were numerous variations on those imaginings as well. Some were a little sweeter and more restrained; others a heck of a lot more frantic and intense, and by that I mean downright pornographic.

I didn't tell anyone. Shit, I would have died if anyone had any inkling as to what was going on in my fucked up brain on a regular basis, regarding Miss Isabella Swan. Of course I never said a word about my feelings but Emmett came awfully close to figuring it all out that very same day. Or maybe he knew, but had some tiny shred of decency and didn't completely embarrass me about it. Unlikely, but who knows? Stranger things have been known to happen.

Emmett had been on his way home from baseball practice that afternoon when he had apparently spotted her truck parked outside the diner. He knew it was a day that she was supposed to be tutoring me, so he had slowed down enough to check out the windows of the Spoons-n-Forks. It seems he thought he had spotted us at our booth through the plate glass window. Mike Newton or Ben Cheney must have confirmed it for him via telephone, because they had been in there when we were, and they were buddies of his, and news travels fast in a small town like Forks.

At any rate, Emmett was lying in wait for me when Bella brought me home after our tutoring session over ice cream sundaes. As soon as I got up to my room he appeared in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe casually, the embodiment of my worst nightmare.

"Hey, Baby Bro, heard you were at the diner with Miss Isabella Heartbreak Swan."

"Don't call her that, Emmett. Why do you always have to call her that?"

"Take it easy, Dude, I just like bugging you and I like the way it sounds. It makes her sound like she's trouble with a capital 'T.' Or heartbreak with a capital 'H.' I dunno…it gives her an exciting sort of mystique. Nobody really knows that much about her."

"Well, it makes you sound like an ass, so just quit it."

"Touch, touchy! What gives, Edward? How come you're all cranky? You got a crush on this girl, or something?" His smile broadened as his mind toyed with the thought.

"Fuck you, Emmett! Get the hell out of my room!"

He started laughing then, his eyes a little wider. "You're shitting me, right? You've got a crush on this girl! For Christ's sake, Edward, she's four years older than you!"

I was fucking livid that he would think he had to take it upon himself to point this kind of shit out to me.

"She's _three _years older than me, not _four, _fuckwit!" I yelled back at him angrily.

"Whatever! She's out of your age bracket and she's out of your league! You don't even go to high school yet, Edward! Every guy at Forks High has his eye on her. Well, except for me…Rose would have my balls…and certainly not Crowley; we changed his mind about that." Emmett paused in his unwelcome tirade to nod contentedly to himself, massaging and flexing his fists, obviously reliving the moment out on our front lawn.

He looked back at me, his eyes narrowing in thought. "You don't stand a chance in hell, Little Guy. You better get over this infatuation; it's not going anywhere."

Deep down inside I knew that. I didn't need him telling me. But I really liked imagining the "_what if?"_ of a relationship with Bella Swan.

I contemplated inviting Crowley over to help me beat the crap out of my jackass goon-for-a-brother. Instead I sat down on my bed, facing away from Emmett, taking my books out of my backpack for no real reason, just to have something to do and wishing he would just leave without saying another word.

"Just, don't call her that, okay?" I said to him quietly over my shoulder. "It's not like she's out there messing up people's lives and breaking their hearts. She's a nice girl and you know it. She told us we were her friends when she said we could call her Bella. You don't talk about a friend like that, Emmett."

Emmett didn't have anything funny to say. He was quiet. I didn't turn and look at him; I wasn't going to get pulled into this anymore than I already had been. After a moment he finally responded.

"Yeah, okay. Sorry, Edward. You're right; she is a nice girl. I didn't mean anything by it."

I just ignored him and he finally left.

_Ass._

I stuffed my books back in my backpack. I had finished everything I needed to do for homework. I had gotten to the point where I would use time in class a little more wisely than I had previously. Previously I had put my head down on my desk rather disdainfully to take a nap whenever possible. Now I tried to get things finished up at school so I'd have less stuff to do at home, except for things I was saving to do with Bella. But when she wasn't here I could always play the piano or guitar or read in my spare time.

I'd always liked reading. It's a cool way to escape. Sometimes you get so wrapped up in what you're reading, that you don't even realize that you're not really there in that book. You forget you are not in that story with those characters you've come to like so well and feel you know so thoroughly. You step into their little universe and you forget there's a whole other real world out there while you're spending time in theirs.

I liked reading even more now, too, because Bella and I would sometimes discuss things we'd read or were reading. I liked knowing about what books she liked. I'd read some of them. A few were a little too girly for my taste, but most others had potential and some of them we had great discussions about. I wasn't trying to impress her or anything, I just liked reading and I liked talking to her and it gave us something different to talk about sometimes as we were driving to and from the Spoons-n-Forks.

I was really enjoying the beginning of spring. I was working my ass off to improve my grades, living for that two-hour window of opportunity on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, when I got to look at, listen to and talk with Bella Swan. Everything was falling into a nice little routine. The weather would begin warming up soon and of course there was spring break to look forward to as well.

The high school and the junior high were on the same schedule for spring break. Bella and I would be on spring vacation the same week…along with every other kid in Forks. At first I was a little worried that I wouldn't see her the entire week but then I realized I could probably convince my parents to hire her for a few extra hours to help me get ahead for the remaining months of the school year. I could work on boosting my grade at the same time I was spending some extra time with Bella.

I just hoped it would warm up a little more over the next few weeks, though. I had this mental image of Bella wearing shorts and sandals and little t-shirts instead of boots and jeans and baggy sweatshirts. I could just imagine how amazing she'd look in a lot less clothing.

_Fuck! __That would be some serious shit._

**August 27…8 months ago**

**BPOV (25 years old)**

I took a seat at the little round table at the side of the bar, glancing up at the flatscreen TVs, most of which had some sporting event or another on them.

I thought about Angela Weber as I waited for her to show up. She'd gone to Forks High and had been Alice Cullen's best friend. The two of them graduated together, a year behind me. She was my age, as was Alice. We would have all graduated together if I hadn't finished a year early. But I became friends with the two of them that last semester of my sort-of-junior, sort-of-senior year.

Angela had lived here in Forks her whole life but the minute she graduated from high school she couldn't wait to get away. Maybe it was hard being the only daughter of Pastor and Mrs. Weber. Everyone expected her to be so prim and proper and of course she wasn't; she'd always been a little on the wild side.

Angela had attended the University of Washington, like me. We'd even seen each other often during her first two years away at school while I was finishing up. I would never have imagined Angela coming back to Forks, once she got out of here. She had loved living in a big city and had rarely returned home during her years in Seattle, working through the summers so she could afford to stay in the city.

But now she was moving back. She'd been offered a job at Forks High School teaching several science classes, taking over Mr. Banner's classes. He had been put on administrative leave at the end of the previous school year after slapping a student who had ridiculed his precious golden onion award. Mr. Banner had subsequently taken early retirement as an alternative to being fired, and would not be returning in the fall.

Now Angela would be taking his place on the staff, working with me back at our own high school. It was really kind of amazing how people seemed to be returning here suddenly.

That made me think immediately of Edward and I glanced back over at the bar where he was talking with the bartender. He was no longer the gangly, awkward young teenager he had once been. He seemed so confident and self-assured. The bartender was suddenly looking over at me with a grin and Edward peered in my direction as well. I realized they must have been talking about me and it made me blush for some reason. Edward looked a little irritated then and I found myself wondering why.

I watched as Edward left the bar and walked through the double doors of the kitchen. A few moments later he came back out and I thought I saw him glance over at me before heading into the small side office. I wondered if I'd see him again this evening, though I realized he had things to do; he couldn't very well spend his time out here, talking to me. But I would have liked the chance to sit and talk with him a little more. I realized I had kind of missed talking to him after all this time but maybe we would have the chance now that he lived here again.

"Bella!"

I heard my name being called and looked up as Angela made her way to the table. She was all smiles. I slid out of my chair, standing up as she got to the table.

"Angela! Hey! It's good to see you!" I told her excitedly.

"Right back at you, Bella! She swooped in and gave me a tight hug, which I happily returned.

We hugged each other for a moment. Though we had both attended the University of Washington, I had started there earlier than she had and I'd moved through the system quickly, taking heavy schedules even in the summer sessions. I hadn't really seen her much in the past five or six years but we had maintained contact as she finished school with degrees in both biology and chemistry and earned her teaching credential.

"It's been a while, Bella!" She said with a bright smile as she quickly looked me over from head to toe. "You look great! Life has been treating you well, I guess."

"I can't complain," I agreed with a smile. "I think it's a good thing I wound up back here. I've grown to love it here. I finally feel like I have some roots, you know, and I can be close to my dad."

"And close to Jake?" she asked with a smirk.

I blushed. "Well, yeah, that's nice too." I didn't want to talk about that right now so I quickly changed the subject.

"You look awesome, Angela."

Her hair was cut shorter than it had been in high school and it had a sort of a striking, asymmetrical style to it. She still wore glasses, but they were attention-grabbers; a style that looked good on her face. She seemed older, prettier and more in control. A little edgy, even.

A young, tall, red haired waitress came by and as we were seating ourselves. She must have been new. I didn't remember seeing her here earlier in the summer before I'd left on vacation to Jacksonville.

"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked Angela.

"I'd like a Seven and Seven, please," Angela said to her with a smile.

"How about you, can I get you another?" the waitress asked me, looking at my nearly empty glass as she set a cocktail napkin down on the table in front of Angela.

"No, I'm good still, thanks. Maybe in a little bit."

She nodded. "I'll be right back with your drink," she told Angela as she set down menus and left for the bar.

Angela looked around the bar, taking it in for the first time.

"This place looks great! I'd forgotten they rebuilt it. Who would have guessed you'd find such a busy establishment here in Forks?"

"Forks is growing up," I laughed. "Times are changing. You'd never guess that this was the old Spoons-n-Forks Diner, would you?"

"No, it's totally different. So it's 'Cullen's Bar and Grill' now, huh? I don't remember, how long ago did that happen?"

"Oh, I think about four or five years ago now. It was right after I started working here."

"What a surprise, that the Cullens would get into the restaurant business! Isn't Dr. Cullen practicing medicine anymore?"

"Oh, yes, he's still over at the hospital. He doesn't really have anything to do with the bar. This is Mrs. Cullen's baby. When her parents passed away they had left her some money, right around the time the original owners of the diner wanted to get out of the business and retire. Esme hated to see the Spoons-n-Forks torn down. I think, originally, she just wanted to fix the place up. But that idea turned into a complete gutting of the old place and then an overhaul. She was an interior designer before, so I think she just started designing and decorating and couldn't stop until this was the final product. I think Alice must get those tendencies she has from her mom." I smiled at the thought.

Angela grinned. "You're probably right; I could totally see Alice doing something like this."

"Cullen's has become the hotspot in Forks. And it became profitable enough that they decided to expand. They just opened a second location in Port Angeles a couple weeks ago. That one is booming, too, I hear."

"You've certainly got all of the info," Angela observed. "How do you know all this?"

I laughed. "I see Esme Cullen at the market all the time and besides, Forks is Forks. It's hard to _not_ know what's going on around here."

Angela grinned. She'd lived here; she knew how word traveled in a place like this.

"So, does Esme run both places?" Angela asked.

"No, actually Emmett had been managing this one up until very recently but he's now at the Port Angeles location. Remember he and Rosalie Hale got married a year ago?" Angela nodded. "Rose got a job at the BMW dealership in Port Angeles, so it made sense for Emmett to take over there so they could be closer to Rose's work."

Our waitress came back with Angela's drink and set it down; asking us if we wanted to order anything else. We hadn't even taken a look at the menu. We told her to give us a few more minutes. She nodded and left.

"So Esme runs this location now?" Angela asked after stirring and then taking a sip of her drink.

I smiled and shook my head. "No, Edward Cullen is managing this location."

"You're kidding! Little Edward? Is he here tonight?" she asked, looking around in surprise.

"Over there, coming out of the back office; dark pants, pale blue shirt, skinny tie, sleeves rolled up, talking to our waitress."

Angela craned her neck, trying to look around a few people in her line of sight. Her head suddenly snapped back around to look at me. Her eyes were as big as saucers and her mouth was hanging open.

"_That's _Edward Cullen? _That's _gangly, skinny, little Edward Cullen? _That's _the surly kid that wore braces?" There was such a look of total astonishment on her face.

I nodded, smiling. "That's him!" I laughed as I glanced back over at him; looking at him more carefully; sort of seeing him through Angela's eyes for a moment. I honestly didn't have to look that hard; it was blatantly obvious.

"Oh. My. God! That's just not possible. Look at him! He's gorgeous! He looks like he just stepped out of a magazine fashion spread. Wrap that man in an Armani suit and he could be on the cover of GQ! I guess it's been about seven years since I saw him last. Holy shit, he grew up hot!"

Angela was right. He had grown into a gorgeous young man.

If the truth be known, I'd found him breathtakingly beautiful for a handful of years now. That was just one of the reasons I felt a little odd and a bit uncomfortable around him sometimes. It was fine when we were just talking; when I wasn't thinking about his appearance and was just thinking of him as the Edward I'd met as a kid and come to know and like as a friend over time. But when you looked at him as…well, as a guy…he sort of made you lose your train of thought. And that had been embarrassing and sometimes even rather…inappropriate. And I could see that in the last year his appearance had only intensified.

Edward was no longer speaking with our waitress; she had nodded at him and disappeared into the kitchen. His eyes flickered over to our table, meeting mine instantly, as I sat there appraising his good looks. I was suddenly mortified that he could maybe read my mind and was able to see what I had been thinking. But of course, that was ridiculous, he couldn't read my mind. Still, I was embarrassed to have been caught staring at him and I could feel the heat rising up into my face once again. I quickly glanced down at my hands.

**EPOV (23 years old) **

I had felt her eyes on me even before I looked over at her. I had been speaking with Victoria, our new waitress, asking her to charge Angela's and Bella's tab to me and to pick up the appetizer order I had turned in while I got Bella a second drink at the bar.

As that conversation ended, I had I felt that tingly sensation that tells you that you are being watched. But for me it was a sensation that made me feel that _she_, Bella, was watching me. It was a slight electrical current that I felt zipping faintly through my body. I knew it was her eyes on me before I even looked over at her. I don't know why I always felt that from her, and never anyone else. My eyes sought her table; sought her eyes. Sure enough I caught her looking. She suddenly looked a little flustered and I saw her fair skin coloring with her blush as she looked down at her hands.

_Her lovely, lovely blush. She was embarrassed because I had caught her looking._

I wished that I could read her mind. I would have given anything to know what she was thinking right now, or had been thinking just moments ago. I wondered what their conversation had been about, that she had been watching me. Had they been talking about me? What would they have to say about me?

I looked at Angela Weber, who had come in a while ago and sat down with Bella. Angela was now looking at me, too. She had a rather surprised expression on her face, but then it turned into a big smile. She began waving at me and then the wave turned into a beckoning motion. She wanted me to come over to their table.

_I could do that. I was planning on doing that._

I smiled and held up a finger to her, signaling that I would come over in a bit. I quickly grabbed a fresh glass to make another tall Tanqueray and tonic with two limes.

A flood of memories had come back as I saw Angela's face. Most of my memories, at least the ones worth really remembering, involved Bella in some way and this time was no different. Angela had been one of Alice's closest friends during high school. It was only during that last semester as a student at Forks High that Bella got to know the two of them well. But it was really Alice that she had come to know first.

**Early April…10 years ago**

**EPOV (13 years old, 8****th**** grade) **

It started out innocently enough one afternoon at the beginning of April. Bella and I were finishing up with our tutoring session at the kitchen table when my mom came home with grocery bags and mentioned she would be making my favorite for dinner that night: Beef Stroganoff. Bella mentioned that particular dish was one of her father's favorites and she often prepared it for him.

So my mom started talking to her about her recipe for Beef Stroganoff and cooking in general, asking Bella if she usually did the cooking at her house for her and her dad. She said she did; her father was a terrible cook and would rather eat out every meal than suffer at his own hands. Apparently when Bella had lived with her mother, also a horrible cook, she had begun learning how to prepare some meals. Bella laughed then, saying it had been a means of survival. Then my mom asked her what she was preparing for dinner at home that night. Bella replied that her dad had the late shift that evening and that he wouldn't be home for dinner so she was probably just going to have a sandwich and maybe heat up some soup.

That was the first evening that my mom insisted that Isabella Swan stay to have dinner at our house. I kind of hung out in the kitchen, absolutely ecstatic and suddenly enthralled with cooking procedures. We both helped a little with the dinner preparation and setting the table. My mom and Bella kept up their conversation regarding cooking, and it seemed to me that maybe Bella missed having a mom around with whom she could do those kinds of things, especially since it sounded like she hadn't even had that with her own mom to begin with.

At one point, Bella offered to make some dessert; a simple sugar cookie recipe that she knew by heart, which required very basic ingredients. She asked me if I wanted to help her, so I got out the ingredients as she rattled them off. We measured, mixed, rolled out little balls of dough, placing them on cookie sheets. Then, dipping a glass into colored sugar sprinkles, which my mom happened to have on hand, we flattened out each ball, leaving a sprinkling of sugar on the cookie and set them in the oven to bake.

Before long, the rest of the family showed up. Dad from a shift at the hospital, Alice from her Wednesday afternoon dance class and Emmett from his varsity baseball practice. They were all surprised yet happy to see that we had a dinner guest, not to mention Bella Swan's signature sugar cookies for dessert.

My dad, who didn't often get a chance to see Bella, complimented her on the great job she was doing straightening out both me and my near-fatal academic disaster. He told her he was greatly pleased with my improvement and relieved that I would probably be living at home with the family during the summer rather than attending some wilderness camp designed to straighten me out. Bella seemed confused by his statement and I glared at him. Bella also seemed embarrassed to take the compliment he had paid her, but thanked him, and said that it was really just all me; it hadn't had much to do with her.

I knew that it had had everything to do with her but I kept my mouth shut.

Emmett traipsed back downstairs into the kitchen after taking a quick post-practice shower. He saw her standing in the corner of the kitchen and then he turned to look at me. He smiled, dimples blazing, marred only by the general leer on his face. I knew I was fucked the moment I saw that face. Of course he had to give me shit. I just didn't know how severe it would be.

It turned out to be shit of the highest level on the Emmett Cullen Shit-o-Meter.

He walked to the stove top, lifted the lid on the pan and looked in, smelling the aroma as he did so. I still can't believe I didn't see it coming.

"Edward's favorite!" He announced happily. "Strokin' Off!"

I nearly fainted of embarrassment. He'd said it just slightly off the actual pronunciation of "Stroganoff." No one else reacted or seemed to notice. But because he'd had that shit-eating grin on his face, I knew what he was really saying for my benefit. And in that moment I knew he would be saying it all evening.

It went pretty much as I feared and expected.

He asked me, "Edward, isn't Strokin' Off wonderful?" He also announced, "Strokin' Off is great any night of the week." A little later, when my mother had mentioned that Bella and I had assisted in the dinner preparation, he even turned to Bella and asked, "So, did you mind helping Edward with the Strokin' Off?"

When my mom offered everyone second helpings, or in Emmett's case, thirds, he declined, thanking her and saying, "Too much Strokin' Off isn't good for you, right Edward?"

I was seriously contemplating getting the large pan, in which my mom had cooked the Beef Stroganoff, and swinging it by the handle like a baseball bat at Emmett's fucking head. I was relatively sure that I could hit him out of the ballpark. Or at least knock him unconscious for a few hours and stop his damn Strokin' Off shit.

Luckily, it seemed that everyone, including Bella, was totally unaware of Emmett's sexual innuendos, pointedly directed at me.

Bella was busy talking with Alice. They had discovered throughout the course of dinner that they had three of the same classes with the same teachers, at different times of the day, besides the gym class they actually shared together. Alice had never really gotten to know Bella until this evening, but they were really hitting it off, it seemed. Before the end of the evening, Bella had disappeared with Alice up to her room and I heard their giggling behind that closed door for about an hour before Bella had to finally leave.

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV ( 23 years old)**

That first family dinner with Bella had paved the way for other dinners at our house when Chief Swan worked the evening shift; I just made sure we never had Beef Stroganoff in Bella's presence again.

That evening also paved the way for a friendship between Bella and my sister, which meant that Bella was at our house more often, both when she was tutoring me and when she wasn't. When Bella and Alice had discovered that they had several of the same classes they began to hang out together. Some evenings, after tutoring, Bella would stick around for a while, visiting with Alice in her room, or downstairs, which I preferred.

Spring break had been a gift to me from God that year. The weather had been unseasonably warm and Bella was often at our house that week, scantily clad and laughing, hanging out with Angela and Alice and tutoring me a little longer than normal. She also helped me with my science project, which turned out to be way more fun than you would have imagined.

That first dinner at our house also paved the way for a sleepover the night before the prom about a month afterward, with both Bella Swan and Angela Weber spending the night at our house.

"Here you go, Mr. Cullen." Victoria's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to see her holding out the appetizer plate I'd ordered. "Would you like me to deliver this to their table, or were you planning on taking it over?"

"Thanks, Victoria, I've got it." I took the platter and picked up the drink I'd managed to make for Bella while I'd been day dreaming. I headed over to Bella's table, feeling a little nervous, hoping I wasn't being too presumptuous by taking the liberty of making her a second drink and selecting an appetizer for the two of them.

_Fuck it, Cullen! She's a friend, for God's sake! Friends can do these things._

* * *

**A/N: A few more bits and pieces of history, including the nightmare of living with Emmett as your older brother. ;) Hope you liked it. I'm wondering what you're wondering about. And I'm wondering if you'll let me know...**


	6. A Rite of Passage

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: Keep in mind what was a crush for Edward was merely a friendship for Bella. She will only see him as a friend for a long time. Anything more would have been…taboo. I know it seems we are stuck on that first night when they "re-meet" in the bar, but there is a lot to process and unfold and remember this is the first time they've seen each other in over a year; they have some catching up to do. We'll begin moving forward shortly in leaps and bounds.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: A Rite of Passage**

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

Not quite three short weeks into managing Cullen's in Forks and already Bella Swan had dropped back into my life. I'd heard she'd gone to see her mom in Florida for a few weeks when I first moved back. She must have just returned in the past few days. And tonight she shows up here; the recurring blip on my radar.

I neared the small, round table where Bella and Angela sat, carrying Bella's drink and the plate of hot appetizers I'd ordered for the two of them. Angela still had that big surprised smile on her face. She moved to stand up just as I got there.

"Oh my gosh, Edward Cullen! You've grown up! I couldn't believe that was you when Bella pointed you out to me!"

Her arms reached out and surrounded me, patting my back, giving me a friendly hug. All I could do was stand there holding the drink and plate away so I wouldn't spill anything on us, since she hadn't given me a chance to set things down.

"Hey Angela!" I laughed at her exuberance. "It's good to see you!"

"It's great to see you, Edward! My goodness you look different. The last time I saw you, you were still a kid. You're definitely not a kid any longer!"

She grinned at me and I laughed, glancing down at Bella, wondering if she was listening; wondering if it mattered. She was watching us, looking a little…_what?_ Taken aback? Contemplative?

_Shit, I hoped so._

I realized I was still standing there holding Bella's drink and their food.

"It looked like you could use a fresh drink, Bella," I said as I set it in front of her.

"Oh! Thanks, Edward; but you didn't have to do that." Bella said, looking up at me with a smile as she moved her old glass to the side and set the new one on the napkin.

I shrugged. "And I brought you girls one of our newest appetizer creations." I set the plate down between the two of them. "I thought you might like to try our Spanish Tapas Plate, Bella."

Her eyes shot back up to mine in a look of total surprise.

"_Tapas_? Oh, my gosh!" She leaned over to inspect the contents of the platter, smiling broadly the whole while. "Edward, everything looks so authentic! _Olivas, tortilla española, costillas, almejas, camarones…_" She was rattling off the contents of the plate in Spanish"_¡Qué deliciosas!_" She looked up at me, beaming happily as I nodded in response, smiling back at her.

"Okay, just hold on a minute," Angela interrupted. "You two might _habla español_ just fine, but I don't _comprendo._ I only had two years of Spanish with Mrs. Goff, not four, like some people, and that was about ten years ago! So, tell me in English, what are these things?" Angela looked back up at me, waiting for an explanation.

I began pointing the items out for Angela, both in Spanish and English. "So you've got _olivas_…marinated olives, _tortilla española_…a sort of quiche-like thing, _almejas_…spicy fried clams, _camarones_…grilled shrimp, and…" I glanced back at Bella, frowning, having no idea how to say 'ribs' in Spanish, although I knew she had said the word just moments ago.

"_Costillas_," she prompted, smiling widely and looking just so very beautiful.

"Okay, if you say so, _señorita Swan._" I grinned back at her before turning to Angela again."And _costillas…_barbecued pork ribs."

"Way to impress the Spanish teacher, Edward!" Angela laughed. "Why don't you join us for a few minutes?" she suggested. "Or do you have to get back to work?"

I was startled at the invitation, never for a moment thinking that I would be asked to join them. I glanced down at Bella, wondering how she felt about me intruding.

"Can you join us?" she asked quietly, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. "At least for a little while?"

_She sounded…hopeful? Well, fuck me._

I ran my fingers through my hair as I looked around the bar to see if Garrett was already here to take over for me. I spotted him talking to a pair of diners in the far corner of the restaurant.

_Yes!_

"Uh, yeah, I can join you for a bit. The assistant manager is here, so my workday is officially over; let me just go have a word with him and I'll be right back. Can I get you another drink, Angela?" I asked, pointing at her near-empty glass.

"Thanks, Edward, a Seven and Seven, please." she replied.

I flagged down Victoria and ordered Angela's drink and a drink for myself on my way to speak to Garrett.

**BPOV (25 years old)**

"Good Lord Almighty," Angela suddenly murmured next to me as Edward moved away toward the other side of the restaurant to the assistant manager.

I had just picked up a piece of Spanish tortilla when she spoke. I turned to look at her, raising my eyebrows questioningly as she popped an olive into her mouth.

"Alice's baby brother got hot and turned into a man when we weren't looking," Angela explained, fanning herself in an over-exaggerated manner for emphasis.

I blushed at her words. "Don't forget he's three years younger than us," I reminded her, chewing on the delicious, fluffy tortilla.

Angela shrugged, picking up one of the grilled shrimp and pausing before taking a bite. "That just means he's been legal for five years, Bella." She burst out laughing at the horrified expression on my face.

I turned my head away from her and glanced back over at Edward, thankful he had no idea of the direction in which this conversation had gone. Angela had remembered Edward as a gangly, skinny kid that wore braces. He no longer looked anything like that young Edward. She had likened him to a model from a magazine spread. I had to agree with her; Edward had gone from awkward teenager to heart-stoppingly beautiful, poised young businessman. I guessed that I could call him a young businessman; he had gotten his MBA and was now managing a very profitable business.

Earlier, when Angela had waved him over to our table he'd grinned that same, shy, boyish grin I had thought so cute years ago when I used to tutor him. That same boy was there somewhere, under the more mature façade. He'd held up a finger, in a "be right with you" gesture and a moment later picked up a drink he had made and the plate our waitress had handed him. He'd headed toward our table then, carrying both items, though I hadn't realized they were intended for us.

Out of the corner of my eye I'd seen Angela pushing her chair back and standing up, suddenly hugging and patting him as she greeted him enthusiastically. It was probably due to the fact that she'd known him growing up, being Alice's closest friend for years. She seemed far more comfortable putting her arms around him and giving him a friendly hug than I would ever be.

That was despite the fact he had even kissed me once. It was a little over two years ago, now. I wondered how much of it he actually remembered. I'd never forgotten it. It was what had made me feel a little awkward around him. I hadn't been expecting it; I'd been shocked. And it had really only been half a kiss because I hadn't allowed it to continue.

I'd watched as Edward stood there a little awkwardly, unable to hug Angela back since his hands were full. He laughed at her effusive greeting and told her it was good to see her, too. And then he was suddenly setting a fresh drink down in front of me as well as a plate of Spanish appetizers that looked so authentic, just like ones I had eaten in Spain during my junior year of college.

It was such a surprise and thoughtful gesture for Edward to have ordered that particular appetizer plate for us. I wasn't even aware they had something like that on the menu. I immediately lapsed into Spanish teacher mode and began marveling over the food, naming them all in Spanish excitedly. Edward had seemed so pleased with my reaction when I'd looked back up at him.

Smiling up at him it stuck me that he was taller than I had remembered. When I had talked to him earlier, as he stood behind the bar, I think he must have been slouching or stooping a little or leaning forward, not drawn up to his full height, because he did seem taller now, more imposing.

I was completely impressed a moment later when Angela asked for explanations and Edward told her what the items were, first in Spanish and then in English as well, only getting stuck on the Spanish word for ribs. I wondered briefly if he ever got to use his Spanish anymore. He had worked so hard at learning it; it would be a shame if that had all gone to waste.

Angela sat back down finally, inviting Edward to join us, though he seemed a little hesitant at first. When he glanced at me, seemingly a little unsure if he was truly welcome, I encouraged him to join us, even if it were just for a little while. I was glad when he'd relented, saying that he was now officially off work but that he needed to speak with his assistant manager first.

Edward had spoken with Garrett and was just returning to our table now, pulling out the chair nearest me since Angela's big purse occupied the other empty chair. I caught a slight, heady scent of aftershave; not overpowering but noticeably masculine. Scent was not something I had ever thought of in connection with Edward Cullen before; certainly not as an eighth grader nor high school student and I hadn't seen him very regularly during his years as a college student. But now I felt myself breathing him in deeply and it did actually seem familiar, not as a scent in general, but as _his scent_.

The waitress suddenly appeared, setting a fresh drink in front of Angela. "Your Seven and Seven." Then she mistakenly set the other drink in front of me, next to my still nearly full glass. "And your tall Tanqueray and tonic with two limes."

Edward's eyes flickered over to mine and he smirked as his hand reached across, long fingers wrapping around the glass and sliding it over in front of him.

"Oh!" the waitress suddenly said. "I didn't realize it was yours. Anything else I can get for you, Mr. Cullen?" she asked.

_Mr. Cullen…How odd!_

Edward glanced at both of us, raising his brows to check and see if we needed anything else but we shook our heads and he turned to wave off the waitress.

"No, thanks, Victoria, that's it for now."

"Thank you for the drink, Edward," Angela said as the waitress nodded and moved away. "And the appetizers; they're really good. I love the ribs."

"Yes, Edward," I agreed, "the appetizers are amazing. Everything really does taste authentic. Thank you. That was very thoughtful."

"Sure; you're welcome. I figured if anybody in Forks would know if they tasted authentic it would be you." He grinned his schoolboy grin at me. Then he stirred his drink, removed the straw, setting it down on the napkin, picked up the glass and smirked. "Now let's see what this two lime business of yours is all about."

I laughed. I was always very particular about two limes. I watched as he brought the glass to his lips and took a drink, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly as he swallowed. He pulled the glass away and licked his lips as he set it back down on the napkin. He nodded his head from side to side slightly, contemplating the taste before looking back at me.

"You're right about the two limes," he chuckled, "It's an improvement."

I grinned at him and clinked the rim of my glass to his. "To big changes."

He laughed and hefted his glass once more before drinking again.

**EPOV (23 years old)**

I began feeling a little more relaxed suddenly and I smiled over at Angela then. "So, Bella told me that you got a job at the high school?"

"Yeah," she smiled, looking over at Bella, "Forks High…where the best of the best come back and teach and touch the future."

"Or at least the best of the best try their best." Bella volunteered with a little smirk.

Angela snorted. "I'm sure some days are challenging."

"You got that right," Bella laughed. "There are days when you question your judgment in coming back to the high school you attended, working with colleagues who were once your own teachers. Who makes that kind of choice for themselves?"

"Uh, Bella Swan and Angela Weber?" I supplied, making them both giggle and feeling a little more comfortable for it.

"We need to have our heads examined," Bella snorted, looking at Angela. "What kind of excitement could there possibly be here in Forks for the two of us?"

My mind began to wander at the possibilities available while Bella and Angela just sat there shaking their heads at one another.

"Anyway," Angela interrupted, holding up her glass in a toast, "I just signed the paperwork today, for better or for worse, so cheers."

We joined her in a toast.

"What made you decide to come back here to Forks?" I asked Angela. "I thought you wanted to live in the city."

She glanced over at Bella and then her eyes slid back over to me. "Well, I have ulterior motives. I've been in contact with someone from high school, and, decided I would come back here and see if there's anything to it. Besides, after Mr. Banner's altercation with that student at the end of last year, I heard it was either retiring or firing for Mr. B and they needed someone to fill his position. Who better than someone who went through his program herself? Not just a former student but a science honors student, a double major in Biology and Chemistry; how could they turn me away? I know my way around those labs with my eyes closed."

"Wait, wait, wait, Angela," Bella interrupted. "Back up. You are not going to bury that interesting piece of news in all of that high school science mumbo jumbo. _Who?_ Who have you been in contact with from high school?" Bella was leaning forward in her seat now and I found myself wondering if it was someone I knew as well.

Angela smiled a little shyly, looking down at the table, picking up a drink napkin and twirling it in her fingers.

"Ben," Angela finally said, a smile curling at her lips, "Ben Cheney. I think you'll remember him. He was a year ahead of me; in your graduating class, Bella. We got in touch through Facebook, and then things kind of blossomed. We started calling and talking and emailing each other quite regularly after that."

Bella's eyes were wide. "Oh. My. God. _Ben_? Oh my God! Angela, are you serious?"

"Quite." She smiled at both of us shyly, her dark eyes peeking over the top of her pale glasses.

"Edward," Bella turned to me, "Ben Cheney was a friend of Emmett's. Do you remember him?"

"Yeah, of course, Cheney and Emmett played baseball together."

"Oh my goodness, Angela," Bella said, leaning toward Angela, obviously still surprised with this piece of information. "I can't believe it. He was my _prom date_!"

Angela was nodding, grinning. "I know; I remember," she said.

Bella turned back to me. "Do you remember the six of us leaving from your house that night?"

"Yeah, sort of," I replied, tilting my head down and scratching at the back of my neck so she couldn't see my face in case I was blushing.

That was complete and utter horseshit. Of course I remembered it clearly. I remembered the whole spectacularly embarrassing fiasco the night before their prom.

_Like you could ever forget your first descent into hell. _

I cleared my throat, trying to move the conversation in a different direction. "That was right after you'd begun to hang out with Alice, right, Bella? Did you already know Angela at that point?"

"Not very well, actually, no, but I remember I got to know her a lot better after she and I spent the night with Alice the night _before_ the prom. Do you remember that night? That was near the end of eighth grade for you. You probably don't remember us girls over there that evening."

I shook my head slowly, like the memory was a faint glimmer in a dark corner of my mind. But it was pure bullshit. I remembered that night as clear as a bell.

_What a disgusting little pervert! _

"I only vaguely remember it," I lied.

Of course I remembered the whole ridiculously embarrassing evening…emergency room trip and all.

**Late May…9½ years ago**

**EPOV (13 years old)**

As the school year drifted to a close, the Forks High School junior/senior prom rolled around. Prom was all Alice talked about for at least a month. She was going, come hell or high water. It was an opportunity to play dress-up for real, and Alice was not going to miss out on that opportunity. She had been cutting pictures of dresses and shoes and hairdos and make-up and shit out of every magazine she could get her hands on. It had all been cut and pasted lovingly into a binder. How she was going to distill that entire notebook she compiled down to one look, for one evening in her entire fucking life, was beyond me. I didn't really care about that kind of nonsense.

What guy does?

But I cared with every fiber of my being the moment I found out that she was going with two other friends and having those two friends spend the night the evening before the prom at our house. I cared the moment I found out that one of them was going to be Miss Isabella Swan.

In our house.

Overnight.

It was a fucking wet dream come true. It was already planned for two weeks ahead of time. So for two weeks at the end of May, I floated through my life, my feet never quite touching the ground.

When the evening finally arrived, both girls showed up before dinner. My mom had decided to order pizza for the girls, ordering more for the rest of the family as well.

I hung around as much as was humanly possible. If they were in the kitchen, well, I needed a drink, or more napkins, or another slice of pizza, or red pepper to sprinkle on my pizza, or whatever the hell I could dream up that wasn't too far-fetched.

When they watched a movie in the living room, I kept walking by or into the room, making comments and asking questions about the movie, commenting on the actors and their acting. I didn't give a crap about the movie, of course. It was all just a ploy to spend time near Bella.

I was a little surprised that Alice didn't fly off the handle and yell at me for intruding. Either I was behaving surreptitiously enough, or she was just too wrapped up in her prom plans and the novel she had pasted together into that loose-leaf notebook.

Later on in the evening, the girls decided to mix together some ingredients from the kitchen cupboards and refrigerator and make a goopy mess that they spread on their faces. Alice called it a purifying masque. I don't know how purifying it was; it was purely hideous, though. Their faces were so pale, their lips red in contrast, they looked like they were the freaking undead. They sat there at the kitchen table, white faced, giving each other manicures and pedicures, talking all the while.

That was when it finally struck me that they were getting ready for a really big _date_ the following night. I realized that Bella was going with _someone_ to this prom. She hadn't mentioned it during our tutoring sessions, of course. Why would she? Now I was wondering who was taking her. I wondered if it was a new boyfriend.

_This could be bad._

I had sauntered back into the kitchen where the girls were painting their fingernails and toenails, talking, still wearing that white goop on their faces. I thought I smelled lemon yogurt. Who the hell knows?

Imagine some guy doing that kind of crap.

Maybe I'd invite my friend Jasper over and we'd sit around with shit on our faces, doing our nails and talking sports. I almost laughed out loud but caught myself in time. The girls would think I'd lost my mind.

"So this prom thing is a pretty big deal, huh?" I asked, leaning against the kitchen counter, just beyond their pedicure, manicure station.

"Of course it's a big deal, Edward! Duh!" Alice looked up at Bella and Angela apologetically, like she was sorry that she had such a slow-witted younger brother. "It's a rite of passage in a teenager's life, Edward! There won't be many occasions when we get to dress so elegantly. Just wait until you're in high school; you'll go to prom, too."

I rolled my eyes at that one.

_Yeah, right._

"So who are you all going with?" I hadn't really paid attention to Alice when she'd talked about prom. She didn't have a boyfriend, so I knew this wasn't serious, and I couldn't remember if she'd said who she was going with or not. I didn't really care about her prom date or Angela's prom date anyway. I was waiting to hear Bella's answer.

"Honestly Edward," Alice said, wiping at a smudge she'd just made on her big toe, "don't you ever listen to anything that goes on around you?"

"Some things more than others," I said. Bella looked up at me, smiling and I returned her smile, feeling as though the sun had just burst through the clouds and warmed me.

"I'm going with Eric Yorkie," Alice said, turning and glaring at me. "And don't you say a thing about him being a fag, Edward, just because he takes dance classes and is involved in the theatrical productions and is the captain of the Forks High Entertainers Squad. He's very bright and he's cultured and he's interesting. And he can dance."

"Yeah, his dancing is great if you like pirouettes," I muttered. Bella and Angela giggled, but Alice glared again, her eyes becoming tiny slits, and I realized I'd better shut up, before she shooed me away.

I turned and looked at Angela next, figuring that was safest. I could bury my interest in Bella Swan; it wouldn't be obvious what I was really doing there, asking this question. God, I was a smooth criminal.

"Oh, me?" Angela asked. "I'm going with Mike Newton. You know him, Edward. He plays football with your brother."

Football, yes, and baseball, with Emmett; and then there was also basketball. Newton played all major sports. He wasn't an extreme stand-out, or anything like that, but he just did it all. He bothered me. He was Mister All-American boy but he was kind of lackluster. He was like apple pie, but without the "a la mode." Something about him was annoying, although not terribly so. He certainly wasn't like Tyler Crowley. And at least he wasn't going with Bella to the prom. I couldn't have handled that. I would have had to step in and say something about people making poor choices.

Finally I looked at Bella. I'd wanted to look at her the whole time and _only_ look at her. She was smiling up at me, holding her hands in front of her. She raised each hand, blowing on her fingernails to dry them. Somehow that was sexy to me. Everything she did was sexy to me. She could have been taking out the garbage wearing old dirty sweats and I would have thought that was pretty erotic.

"I'm going with Ben Cheney. I don't know him that well; he's in my English class. He didn't have a date, and I didn't have a date, and well, so now we have dates." She blushed looking down, examining her fingers, blowing on them a little more to dry them.

I was delighted with the information I'd just received. I knew who Ben was; he played baseball with Emmett. He was an okay guy. So he wasn't a boyfriend, he was just some guy that wanted to go to the prom and not miss out on this… _What had Alice called it_? Oh, yeah…this "rite of passage in a teenager's life."

_Shit. Alice can be a real nut job sometimes._

"You'll have a good time with him," Alice said. "He's a nice guy. He's on the baseball team but he's smart, maybe a little nerdy, but he's got a good sense of humor. It'll be a fun evening. Besides, we'll all be hanging out together, so don't worry, Bella."

I was glad her date wasn't a dick. I was relieved but then I found myself hoping that he wasn't too nice and smart and funny. I really didn't want anything to come of this prom date situation.

The girls were finishing up and I left the kitchen, heading upstairs to my bedroom to read. I certainly couldn't join them in Alice's bedroom. I couldn't continue to hang out with them. It would seem weird. They'd wonder about my interest in their evening, both tonight and tomorrow night.

I had stretched out on my bed with a book I'd begun reading a few days ago. I read a few pages when I became aware of the girls' voices in Alice's bedroom, right next door to my room. I continued reading, occasionally hearing them talking, giggling, with a shriek of laughter every now and then. I wondered what the heck was going on in there. I wondered how much I'd be able to hear if I got a glass from the kitchen and pressed it to the wall, pressing my ear to the bottom. I suddenly wished my dad had a stethoscope lying around the house for special occasions like this one.

Once I realized that I'd reread the same page about six times and wasn't making any headway, I got frustrated. This was going to be a hell of a long fucking night. I decided maybe I should just get up and get out of there. Maybe go for a walk. I could come back in a while and they'd probably be much quieter, maybe even asleep.

I put on my shoes and headed downstairs and out the front door. I walked along down the street. It wasn't very bright out, just a quarter-moon showing in the sky.

I thought about what it would be like to get all dressed up and have Miss Isabella Swan on my arm at some fancy shindig. All of the guys in the place would be looking at me; hating me, because I was the one who had her in my arms as we danced. I imagined her in some flowing gown; something strapless and fitted along her body. As my mind wandered I made a big loop around our entire neighborhood.

I began wondering what was going on back at home. Were they still sequestered up in Alice's room, or had they maybe come down for cookies or ice cream or something? As soon as my mind conjured up thoughts of Bella eating ice cream I knew I had to get back there. No way was I going to miss out on that free erotica.

When I walked back down our street I could see the light in Alice's window upstairs. I could faintly hear music and I could see shadows thrown against the sheer curtains up there.

My plan had been to go right back inside through the front door, but for some reason that didn't happen immediately. For some reason my eyes latched onto the tree that stood on that side of our house, close to the two bedrooms on that side of the house: Alice's and mine. My brain was on fucked-up auto-pilot as I neared the tree and began quietly climbing up the branches. Part of my brain couldn't believe that I was sinking so low to spy on the object of my desires. The other part of my brain was cheering and yelling at me to hurry before I missed anything vital.

When I got up high enough to look through Alice's window, through the very sheer curtains that were drawn, I nearly fainted. Alice and Angela were talking over by Alice's closet, their backs facing Bella, who stood closer to the window. Her back was to the window. She was wearing little pajama shorts; all three of them were.

She still had her t-shirt on that she had been wearing earlier with her jeans. I watched in rapt awe as her hands crossed over the front of her body, grabbing the hem and pulling it up over her head. Her back was still toward me as I crept a little closer on the branch, hidden in the leaves of the tree.

Her hands came around to the back of her bra, grasping the straps and working at the little hooks, unfastening it and slipping it down her arms. My breathing had become ragged; my pants had become painfully tight in the crotch. I saw her looking around herself, but her back was still to me. _What was she looking for?_ That was when I noticed the top that matched her pajama shorts lying draped over the back of Alice's desk chair.

_She was looking for her pajama top!_

Alice's desk stood just under the window. I realized Bella was going to turn around and come toward the window to get her top.

_I was going to see Bella's naked breasts!_

I was dying. With each ragged, little, tiny breath, as I waited for her to turn around, I was dying. Everything was happening in slow motion as I inched my way closer toward the window along the branch.

And then my foot slid off the branch, the momentum catching me unawares and pulling the rest of me off the branch as well. I lost my grip on the overhead branch as I plummeted down to the ground below. Thank goodness I had been on the one lone branch that protruded out over the ground with very few branches directly beneath it. I was lucky not to have struck my head on any branches as I fell back down to earth. I landed just to the side of my mother's rose garden.

If it had been the righteous hand of God that had slapped me off the branch and out of my voyeuristic euphoria, it was the forgiving hand of God that had shielded me from the roses below. The situation I was now in could have been a much thornier one.

I was really very lucky for numerous reasons. The music was still playing loudly in Alice's room, so I was sure they hadn't heard my yelp as I slipped, nor the _whump_ as my body hit the ground below. I hadn't been knocked unconscious, for someone to find my body there later, lying incriminatingly beneath Alice's window. I hadn't slid off the branch with my legs straddling either side, effectively ruining my family jewels for a long time to come. I didn't have a zillion scratches all over me from landing in rose bushes. And I wasn't covered in dirt and manure from the garden, having landed fairly safely on the thick, manicured lawn below.

I lay there for a few moments, however, the wind having been knocked out of me. At first I couldn't breathe or catch my breath. I was also waiting for my raging hard on to continue to subside. That had already begun happening as I was falling through space. I finally tried to sit up. The movement hurt my ankle badly and I had a hard time breathing as I waited for the pain to pass. I gingerly reached forward, touching my ankle. It hurt, but wasn't twisted at some odd angle, so I didn't have some catastrophic break. Still, it was either fractured or badly sprained. I didn't remember even landing on it.

_Shit. Now what?_

I continued to collect myself and my thoughts and my lies. Finally I felt ready to try to make it into the house. I stood up, leaning against the tree, not putting any weight on my foot, brushing my clothes off. I began hopping around the side of the house, toward the front door, stopping and resting and leaning against another tree on the way for support when the pain got to be too much. When I got to the front steps I sat down for a few moments. I scooted backwards and up the steps, one by one, until I was at the top one. I grabbed the handrail and stood up, hopping toward the front door.

"Dad!" I yelled as I made it into the house again, hopping toward the couch in the living room. "Dad!" I yelled once again, sitting down and lifting my leg up gingerly onto the couch.

"Edward?" I heard my mom's voice from the den. "What's wrong, dear?"

I took a deep breath. "I think I might have broken my ankle!"

She was there in an instant. "What? How did…? Wait; let me get your father!"

She hurried up the stairs to my father's office. I heard her knock, saying his name as she opened the door. I couldn't hear what she said to him, but moments later they were both rushing down the stairs to me.

"Edward! What happened?" my dad asked as he came over to the couch, peering at me.

_Here we go. It's show time. How well have you memorized your lines, Edward?_

"I had gone outside to go for a walk and when I came back I heard Mrs. Cope's cat up in the tree in front of our house again. I thought it was stuck like last time, so I climbed up to try to help it down. I slipped and I fell. I guess I landed on my foot funny, but I don't really remember exactly what happened. It all happened so fast."

_And the Best Actor Award in a Big Fat Lie goes to Edward Anthony Cullen. Applause. Applause._

"Oh, my," my mom said, her hand going up to rest at the base of her throat.

I winced as my dad took off my shoe carefully, and then peeled my sock down just as carefully. He pulled the leg of my pant up a bit and looked at my ankle. It was already swollen. He carefully felt along the ankle on both sides.

"We'd better go get this X-rayed. Hopefully it's just a sprain. I don't feel anything terribly wrong, so that's good. Let me go get my keys and wallet." He turned to my mom. "You stay here with the girls, Esme. No reason to break up their little party." He glanced back at me speculatively. "Hopefully it's nothing serious," he added after a moment.

A few minutes later my dad was helping me out to the car, his arm wrapped around my waist as I hopped on my good foot, leaning against him for support. When he got me into the passenger side of the car he shut the door. Then he turned back toward the house. I saw him looking at the tree in the front of the house. Then I saw him look toward the tree that stood between Alice's window and mine. I saw him put his hands on his hips and look down at the ground. He seemed lost in thought.

I was shitting bricks.

My dad finally got into the driver's side of the car. He started up the car and began to back out of the driveway. That was when he began. I knew something was coming. I was stuck in the car listening to him as he drove. I couldn't very well get out as we were moving. Well, I could, but then I'd be in even worse shape by the time we reached the hospital.

"Edward, I don't want to doubt you. But just in case I should, I want you to know that I don't think there's anything seriously wrong with you. I'm not talking about your ankle right now; we'll get that thing fixed. But I want you to know I don't think there's really anything seriously psychologically amiss with your behavior, I just think you're a little enamored with Bella. She's Emmett's age, you know."

"She is not, she's Alice's age," I replied, for some reason responding to that, and not trying to deny the actual direction this conversation and confrontation had turned.

"Still, she's a little old for you, and honestly, son, she's not going to be thinking of you romantically, like you'd like."

I was mortified. I just looked out the side window, willing myself to pass out.

"And Edward," my father continued, pausing for a moment so that I would be forced to look at him, "Mrs. Cope's cat was hit by a car a two days ago. She called in for a prescription for sedatives. That cat was her whole world, you know." He cleared his throat, looking straight ahead. Slowly he began speaking again, "So whatever cat you saw, real or imagined, it was not Mrs. Cope's cat. Her cat has been interred at the pet cemetery behind the veterinary hospital."

I closed my eyes, feeling ill, and leaned my head against the window. If we hadn't already been pulling into the parking lot of the hospital I would have just gone ahead and opened the door of the moving vehicle and thrown myself out onto the pavement as we sped over it. Now however, stopped as we were, it would do me little good.

At least inside the hospital there was enough activity to keep me from having to face my father. He already knew everything anyway. What more could I have said to him? I would never do anything so lame-assed again. God had saved me from being a complete pervert. I was probably going to hell anyway, but at least I wouldn't be directly on top of the coals. Maybe with a little luck, I'd be off to the side somewhere, suffering only from the scorches of indirect heat.

My ankle was not broken. It was only a sprain. It was wrapped and I was given crutches to use for a while. We left and returned home late that night.

"Thank you." I said to my dad as we pulled into the driveway.

"You're welcome, Edward. That's what parents are for."

"Dad," I said to him, hanging my head in my hands as I sat in the front seat of his car, "I'm so sorry. It'll never, ever happen again."

"I know, Edward. This is a part of growing up." He patted my shoulder and got out of the car, coming around to my side to help me out and hand me my crutches.

I slept poorly that night. Of course I was in pain, though I did have some fairly good painkillers. It wasn't the pain so much as it was what had precipitated all of my bad luck tonight in the first place. I couldn't sleep knowing that she was right next door. I kept fantasizing all night about her, despite my pain and perhaps a little because of those pain meds.

In one fantasy, I would go barging into Alice's room and just grab Bella and cart her back to my room, slamming and locking the door. In another fantasy, I was much stealthier, sneaking in and stealing her away before anyone noticed. How either of those fantasies was going to happen on crutches never even entered my mind.

I also imagined her getting up in the middle of the night, becoming disoriented for no good reason and somehow winding up in my room, in my bed. There was also my personal favorite, where she sought me out, telling me that she could no longer keep up this charade as she jumped into bed and on top of me.

I was certain my dad was going to have to take me back over to the hospital by the next morning. There was a good chance my dick was going to break off in my hand from overuse during the night.

I didn't think I'd be able to blame that on Mrs. Cope's dead cat either.

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**A/N: So...a few more pieces to the puzzle that is their past. Some rather unusual things you may have noticed. And I've just got to say I love Mrs. Cope, even though her cat suffered an untimely demise for poor Edward's sake. ) Let me know what you thought.**


	7. Guys Do Keep Keepsakes

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: Some of you have been asking me for more information about Bella and Edward. There are some interesting nuggets buried in this chapter here. Happy digging.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Guys Do Keep Keepsakes**

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

"Edward?"

I looked up at Bella in surprise, realizing that I'd been lost in thought, thinking back all those years to a major event in my life: the day providence intervened and I fell out of a tree instead of becoming a complete voyeuristic pervert. I had apparently just missed something in the conversation. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and refocus.

"I'm sorry, what did you just ask?" I looked from Bella to Angela, feeling like a complete dolt.

Angela spoke up. "I was saying I remembered you were there the evening Bella, Alice and I went to the prom. Hadn't you broken your leg or something the night before? I seem to remember you were on crutches."

Before I could answer though, Bella was responding to the question.

"He'd sprained his ankle," she corrected Angela. "I remember seeing him lying there asleep on the couch the next morning with the crutches on the floor. I'd gone and sat next to him, wondering what had happened since he'd been fine the night before. He told me he'd been trying to get a cat out of a tree when he fell." Bella turned her smiling face to me.

"Oh, that's right, I completely forgot!" Angela said, nodding then at the recollection.

"You remember _all_ that?" I asked Bella in surprise, feeling a little embarrassed because I'd stuck with the damn cat story after all, omitting the part about it being Mrs. Cope's cat to save face. Only my dad would ever really know just what kind of a horny little pervert I'd been that night. And I'd gotten the distinct feeling that evening that he wasn't planning to share that information with my mom. I'd be eternally grateful for that.

Bella nodded in response to my question. "I have a really good memory. I remember lots of things that would surprise you. I remember I thought it was just so sweet you would climb a tree at night, in the dark, to rescue a stray cat."

I nodded and smiled uncomfortably, thankful that Angela began reminiscing with Bella at that point about their preparations for the prom the following night. I was glad I wasn't being forced to retell and elaborate on the whole treed-cat-fabrication.

**Late May… 10 years ago**

**EPOV (13 years old)**

After my dad and I came back from the hospital the night I fell out of the tree, spraining my ankle while trying to spy on Bella, I had slept fitfully. Maybe part of the problem was the pain medication. I had probably been overly tired but because Bella was in the room next door, I had been unable to really sleep, hallucinating instead. But what wonderful hallucinations they were. Bella, Bella, and more Bella, in various stages of undress and wanton sexual activities with me.

By the time the morning rolled around, I hadn't gotten much sleep at all. The girls woke up fairly early, probably keyed up for the prom that evening. I heard them talking and laughing in Alice's room, next door to my own. I managed to hobble down the stairs on the crutches, going to lie down on the living room sofa. No one else had managed to materialize yet. I turned on the TV and lay there watching without really seeing. After a while I dozed off again.

The sound of the girls' voices, as they descended the stairs and headed into the kitchen for breakfast, didn't completely permeate my dreams. Nothing woke me completely until I felt the couch shift a little, as someone settled down, sitting right next to me.

"What happened to you?" a soft, female voice asked.

My eyes flew open in an instant. It was _her_, sitting right next to me on the couch where I was lying on my side. I must have looked confused, because she repeated her question.

"What happened to you, Edward? What's with the crutches?"

I glanced down. I had set the crutches on the floor, along the base of the couch. My eyes flickered back up to Bella's.

_I was trying to ogle your naked breasts when fate intervened and tried to kill me. _

I blushed at her, but then decided to tell her the story my father had allowed me, with a minor modification, since the truth probably wouldn't go over too well.

"Uh, I went for a walk last night and when I came back I thought I heard a cat stuck up in the tree." I gestured vaguely with my thumb over my shoulder toward a point somewhere between the tree in the front of the house and the one outside Alice's and my bedroom windows. I hated to lie to her; it was better to be vague. "I, uh, climbed up, but then I fell when my foot slipped."

She gasped. "You poor guy! What a sweet thing you were trying to do!"

_No, not entirely. _

I grimaced. Not because of the pain, but because of what she thought and just how far from the truth that was. I wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground. I felt like I'd let her down and I was such a disappointment to myself.

"Is it broken?" she asked, glancing quickly at my ankle, misreading my expression of pain.

"Oh, no, it's just sprained; I'll be okay, I just have to use crutches for a while and stay off of it. My dad took me to the hospital last night to get it checked out."

"Does it hurt very badly?" she asked, a pucker forming between her brows as she looked at me. "Do you want me to get you some aspirin or do you have pain medication?"

I was momentarily distracted by her little frown of concern but then I realized I hadn't taken anything since last night and I was due again by now.

"Uh, sure, Bella…thank you. I think the bottle of pills is on the kitchen counter."

She stood up and headed to the kitchen and I realized that she was still wearing the little pajama shorts I had seen on her last night. She was wearing a little hooded sweatshirt, covering up her pajama top; the errant pajama top that had nearly made my dreams come true last night.

It dawned on me that she probably was still braless under her clothes and just that little fleeting thought was now giving me problems. I grabbed one of the two toss pillows that my head was resting upon, and quickly brought it over my head and down to cover the front of the basketball shorts I was wearing. Basketball shorts do not offer much hard-on restraint, so I needed fortification. I tried to drape my arm across the pillow casually.

She returned with a glass of orange juice and a pill, waiting for me to sit up a little.

"Thanks, Bella" I said, leaning upwards to take the pill and then the glass, feeling sick once again at the thought that she was being so kind to me after I'd been a voyeuristic degenerate.

"Sure, Edward. Do you want something to eat? Alice, Angela and I are making waffles. Do you want me to fix you some?"

"That sounds really great. Yeah, thanks." Alice would never have thought to offer me any of the waffles she and her friends were making. That's okay though, when Jasper comes over I generally snub her as well. Tit for tat.

_Tit for tat? _

_Damn! Now I was thinking of braless Bella once again. _

I sat myself up, once she had left the room. I was facing the TV now, putting my leg up on the coffee table, resting it on a pillow to elevate it a little. After a while the girls came into the room, each of them wearing the same kind of outfit Bella had on: pajama shorts and a sweatshirt. I was really only focused on Bella, of course.

She brought me a plate with hot waffles, slathered with butter and syrup and a tall glass of cold milk. She sat down on the couch next to me with her own plate of waffles, setting her glass of milk next to mine on the coffee table. Alice and Angela plopped themselves down on the couch and chair, respectively.

Alice commandeered the TV remote control and put on some show that they wanted to watch. I didn't really care. I was too focused on the fact that a braless, yet sweatshirt enrobed Bella was sitting next to me on the couch. I could feel the warmth of her body emanating from her. It was a zippy little electrical charge that I felt, running through my body and directly to my pillow covered groin, where I had set my plate of waffles for good measure. I really tried to ignore the whole braless thing…but I just wasn't that strong.

Alice and Angela had wondered at my situation, and Bella had filled them in, telling them the same stranded-cat-story that I had told her. I blushed a little, but only because I knew the real story and they didn't.

They discussed their plans for the day, which included lying out in the backyard in shorts and tank tops to catch a little sun, since it was supposed to be a relatively warm day. They also had plans to get their hair cut and styled much later in the afternoon at the local salon in preparation for their big night out.

I called Jasper a little later that morning, telling him that I'd sprained my ankle and was pretty much out of commission for a while. He was a good friend; he agreed to come over to hang out with me to keep me entertained. I figured if he was there I wouldn't be tempted to press my face up against the window, mouth-breathing until the window was all fogged up as I ogled Bella in the backyard. I wanted to protect her from the disgusting monster within me if it was at all possible.

Jasper rode over on his bike after lunch, bringing a few videos and a few of his video games in his backpack. We played several games, arguing over the merits of each and which one was best and who was best at which game. We'd often had those same arguments, never really reaching any firm conclusions.

In the early evening my mom started making dinner, saying that Jasper was welcome to stay if he wanted. He stayed for my mom's famous spaghetti and meatballs. It was nice to have someone there to keep me entertained and to occupy my thoughts as Bella got ready to go out on a fabulously grown-up date with Ben Cheney.

I wondered if she liked Cheney. I knew him through Emmett; he played on the baseball team with Emmett. He was a little on the short side, but slightly taller than Bella. At least, I reflected, he wasn't known for being a douche like Tyler Crowley. He was a good guy. That was kind of what had me so worried; Bella had gone three months without a boyfriend or date, at least to my knowledge, and I hoped this wasn't the beginning of some big romance. I'd cry my eyes out if Second-Base Cheney made it to second base with Isabella Swan.

Early in the evening, the girls came downstairs; all made up and wearing their prom dresses. Bella looked like she'd stepped right out of my dreams. Her dark brown shiny hair had been curled and then caught into two gold combs on either side of her head. She was wearing a dark green dress. It had little puffy sleeves and a scooping square-cut neckline. It was a little fitted through her torso, but billowed out around her at the waist. She was wearing a little gold locket around her neck. I thought I'd never seen anyone look more beautiful. The dark green of her dress was a pretty color on her, and I thought she looked like a fairly tale princess.

I had no idea what Alice or Angela wore because I don't think I looked at either one of them once.

The guys were arriving together that evening: Ben Cheney, Mike Newton and EricYorkie. I wasn't too happy about seeing Bella go to a fancy prom with Ben Cheney, but at least he was a better choice than Newton or Yorkie. Cheney was at least a fairly nice, unassuming guy. Newton had always irritated me a little. He had that self-satisfied attitude all the time; like he was pretty convinced that he was a cool dude. I most certainly couldn't imagine Bella spending an evening with Twinkle Toes Yorkie.

I didn't know how Alice was going to make it through the evening with Yorkie without collapsing into a pile and laughing her head off. I don't know…maybe the guy could dance but I'd only ever seen him at Alice's dance recitals and I hoped for Alice's sake he wasn't going to do any ballet moves at the prom or do that "jazz hands" thing.

I recalled the last recital Alice had had, which Emmett and I had been forced to attend with our parents. Emmett had leaned toward me to whisper, 'Yorkie is a real man's man… literally.' And then Emmett had laughed at how funny he was while I'd rolled my eyes, slouching farther down in my seat, hoping no one from the junior high was there to see that I was watching my sister's fucking dance recital.

On the evening of the prom, Jasper and I were sitting in the living room playing video games when the guys showed up in their tuxedos, carrying little corsage boxes for the girls. Yorkie had bought Alice a wrist corsage, Newton had gotten a regular corsage, and his fingers were now dipping into the top edge of Angela's gown as he tried to pin it on. I thought he seemed to be having a little more difficulties than the situation warranted. If Ben tried that shit with Bella I was going to take a big wind-up swing with my crutch and let him have it over the head. Luckily for Bella and Ben's head, he just handed her the corsage and said that he wasn't too sure about how to pin it to her dress. Newton immediately offered to help her and I felt my palm itching for my crutch. I wondered how quickly I could hop over to him before he noticed my intent. Bella declined Newton's help and I just stayed put on the couch next to Jasper.

My mom and dad were there to take photos to document the occasion of Alice's first prom, fawning over the girls and guys alike. Jasper and I watched from the couch. He seemed fairly detached, intent on getting the high score on whatever video game was in the machine. I couldn't very well get up and hobble over to the group and really, why the hell would I do that, anyway?

They left shortly after that in Ben's dad's big old Suburban. I have to admit I thought about Bella that whole evening, imagining her twirling around on a big ballroom floor in Ben's arms, him stopping at the end of each song and dipping her low to the ground, bent back over his arm, him running his lips along her bare and curving neck, before pulling her back upright, tightly against his body, with little strings of lights twinkling above them romantically. I think that was probably a scene from some sappy movie I'd seen, but in my head, that was what was going on at the Forks High Prom in the Forks High Gym.

Emmett had taken Rosalie, of course. He'd left earlier in the evening to pick her up at her house. Before he'd left, he'd sneaked me a peek at the flask filled with booze he had tucked into his jacket pocket. He'd told me it was for a guaranteed good time, adding that I'd wake up dead if I ever said a word about it to our parents. When I'd asked him what kind of booze it held, he confidently told me that it was a mix of most of the things in my dad's liquor cabinet. I shivered in disgust. But then I wondered if Ben had a flask that he was planning on sharing with Bella.

When the six of them left together for their high-class night out, I really felt the gap in our ages. It seemed like everyone I knew was older than me and going to the prom. Well, except for Jasper Whitlock. But both my brother and my sister were dressed up like adults and getting to look at Bella all night, while I sat here playing games and watching TV with Jasper, like we were two goddamned little kids.

By midnight Jasper and I were sick of video games. We had watched another movie while eating popcorn and we'd also talked about everybody at school that we could think of. I'm certain after practically twelve hours with me he was just generally sick of me and my rather grumpy attitude. He figured that it was due to my swollen and sore ankle, but in reality I was just severely annoyed about the prom and what might be happening under the influence of bad decisions. Jasper decided he'd go home, rather than spend the night, so he hopped on his bike and rode back to his house a little after midnight. The Whitlock's just lived two streets over, so it was no big deal.

I stayed in the living room for a while after he left. It wasn't like Bella was going to be coming back here, so I don't know what I was really waiting up for…I just didn't really know what else to do with myself. If I hadn't had the crutches I would have been pacing the floor. Pacing with crutches is a rather clumsy ordeal, I'd discovered.

Finally at one o'clock I headed upstairs; just me and my fucking crutches. I'd just gotten to my room when I heard a car out front. I kept the lights off as I peered out the window. I heard Alice giggling and calling goodbye from the front door of our house and I saw Ben wave from the driver's seat where he sat. There was one person left in the car, besides him. It was Bella, in the passenger seat. He was taking her home last. This didn't look good to me. I could only hope that the Chief of Police was up waiting; wondering where the hell his daughter was and when her damn date was bringing her home. I imagined him sitting on his porch with a loaded shotgun, ready to deal with Cheney if he'd stepped out of line.

**August 27****th****…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old) **

Angela had scooted her chair out to stand up from the table. I realized she had just said she needed to run to the restroom and then she asked if Bella felt so inclined. But Bella said she was fine and Angela left on her own. Suddenly Bella and I were left on our own for a few moments.

"I'm sorry, Edward," Bella said, leaning her elbow on the table and propping her chin in her hand. "We've probably been boring you to tears with our prom tales." She smiled a little hesitantly.

"Oh, no. Not at all. No…that's okay. I remember that night," I said with a smile, picking up my straw and stirring my drink a little. "I still have that photo you gave me; the wallet-sized one of you and Ben, taken at the prom that night."

"Really? You've kept it all this time?" She looked so surprised. That little signature pucker she often had was right there between her brows and I was just so tempted to reach up with my thumb and smooth that confused little crease away.

"Yeah." I looked down at the table, grasping my glass tightly, wondering if I should say what had just popped into my mind.

_Shit…I might as well go for it. _

"Yeah, I've still got it in a box at home…and I still have that photo of you and me at our prom, too."

She paused a moment, seemingly caught off guard.

"_Our _prom?" she finally asked, smiling a little at me. "Don't you mean _your_ prom, Edward?"

I blushed and smiled awkwardly at her, wondering if I'd really gone overboard with the true confessions. I decided to rein things in a little. "Yeah, I guess it was really _my _senior prom, huh? But you were there, too." I shrugged, still feeling slightly foolish

She blushed a little, looking away for a moment. Her voice was a bit quieter when she spoke up again. "Life's funny isn't it?"

"Yeah, it sure is," I agreed quietly, picking up my gin and tonic and swirling the melting ice around a little before taking a rather large drink.

Funny didn't even begin to cover it. I knew she didn't mean life was 'funny-haha;' she meant something more along the lines of 'funny-odd,' with all the paths our lives take us. Sometimes life laughed at you, setting you up for disaster and ridiculing you when you narrowly escaped. Sometimes it smiled at you and gave you a break. Life had smiled on me at my senior prom, even if only for a few moments. I still had the photo to prove it. But there had been so many times, in my experience anyway, that life had seemed more along the lines of 'funny-tragic,' or maybe a little less severe, like 'funny-profoundly-disappointing.' And that had been going on for such a long time you would have thought I'd be used to it by now.

I wondered what the odds were that things might change now that I'd come back to live here in Forks.

Angela returned from the restroom as I was mulling over my fate and she sat back down, asking me what I'd been doing since high school. I filled her in on my years at UDub, getting a degree in business, followed by an MBA, living in a dorm on campus at first and then apartments after that and during my undergraduate and graduate studies.

I told her I'd shared a dorm room with my high school buddy, Jasper Whitlock the first two years and then an apartment the third year of my undergraduate studies. Jasper was also a business major at UDub, before he dropped out and decided to travel and do odd jobs to pay for his travels. Angela remembered Jasper, although he was younger like me, since he was often at our house in Forks when she was there hanging out with Alice.

Angela was surprised to find out I'd worked part-time in a bar throughout those years in Seattle and she'd asked which one. When I told her I'd worked for years at Meyer's she was surprised our paths had never crossed, since she'd been there on several occasions, having no idea I'd worked there.

The whole time we talked Bella sat there listening at times, asking a question every now and then and then completely lost in thought at others. I wondered what she was thinking about. She already knew most of my situation, since we'd seen each other throughout the years. Well, that was up until the last two years when I'd pretty much stayed in Seattle to avoid her and my embarrassment over my behavior on the night of my twenty-first birthday.

I sat with Bella and Angela for about another half hour then excused myself and said my goodbyes. I knew Bella and Angela had decided to meet so they could visit and I knew my presence was probably curtailing them from some kind of Ben Cheney discussion and whatever else was on their agenda. I really didn't want to overstay my welcome at their table; I already considered myself to be really lucky to have been invited to join them in the first place. My first time seeing Bella in a year had gone far better than I could ever have imagined; it actually felt pretty comfortable, especially considering how strained things could have still been.

It was also time for me to leave for another reason. I'd been putting in a lot of hours the past few weeks, not just here, at the Cullen's in Forks, but also helping Emmett as he transitioned to the Cullen's in Port Angeles. There had been a lot to organize and set up to get the place up and running, plus he and Rose had needed some help with their move to their new home.

_Shit._

I needed a new home, too. I loved my parents dearly and got on great with them but there's just something so unsatisfying about living on your own for a few years and then moving back in with the folks; to the house where you grew up. It's a step backwards and it just makes you feel so young again after you thought you'd become an adult.

The search for an acceptable apartment to call my own had already begun. I'd narrowed my choices down and wanted to go back early tomorrow morning, before work, to make a final decision. I was anxious to make the move as soon as possible.

So, I'd wrapped up my visit with Bella and Angela then. I told them to just put whatever else they wanted to order on the same tab and it would be on the house. Bella had looked up at me in surprise.

"Can you do that? Won't you get in trouble?" The little pucker was back between her brows and for a brief second I wanted to chuckle at her little worried face…but I didn't.

"Well, let's see…" I said thoughtfully, rubbing my chin as I contemplated what she'd just asked. "My days just might be numbered if I take too many liberties, feeding the guests and buying their drinks. Of course I _am_ the manager here…but I'd sure hate to have to fire my ass…so I'll try to keep things from getting out of hand, Bella." I bit my lip to keep my smirk at a minimum as I watched her face.

Bella and Angela both burst out laughing then; Bella covering her face with her hand.

"Oh, God! I'm so embarrassed!" she giggled. "Of course you can make those decisions. I guess I'm just used to seeing Emmett in here. Sorry, Edward!" She looked back up at me, her face a warm pink from her embarrassment. It was priceless.

I chuckled at her then. "No offense taken, Bella. So, order whatever you'd both like; I'll take care of it. Because I _can_." I grinned at her.

I stood up then, stretching after my long day and feeling a little awkward about how best to depart from the table. There were so many options: friendly-little-wave, pat-on-the-shoulder or back, quick lean-and-hug, one-armed hug with a peck on the cheek. What I wanted to do was to basically ignore Angela and crush Bella to my body as I mauled her lips. That would cause a definite stir in the bar, though, and there was that fairly good chance I'd get a slap for pulling that shit a second time, so I refrained, keeping the dormant monster in check.

Angela solved the problem however; she just turned toward me in her chair, lifting her arms up to me for the quick lean-and-hug. I obliged her and then I turned to Bella, whose hands remained clasped, elbows leaning on the table. She was looking up at me though, with a warm smile, so I reached out and grasped her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, which I hoped was okay.

"It was good to see you," I said to Bella and then turned my face to include Angela in the sentiment. "If I don't see you two before school starts back up, good luck with the new batch of demons and don't forget we've got Happy Hour to help you deal with whatever problems may arise over at the hallowed halls of Forks High School."

Angela laughed. "I'm sure you'll be seeing us, Edward."

"We'll be stopping by," Bella agreed with a smile. "I'm glad you were able to visit with us for a while, Edward. And thank you for the drinks and the terrific tapas."

I nodded a 'you're welcome' and gave them the friendly-little-wave goodbye as I dragged myself away rather unwillingly. Heading outside to my car I found myself feeling rather relieved and happy and just the tiniest bit optimistic.

**BPOV (25 years old)**

I had been flabbergasted when Angela had said she had an interest in Ben Cheney. Ben and I had gone out two more times after the night of the prom. We'd had a nice time together; we'd had fun but there were no real sparks between us...still, prom had been rather fun and in the end I was really glad I'd gone.

**Late May…10 years ago**

**BPOV (16 years old)**

I hadn't really planned on going to the prom. It wasn't my kind of thing. I certainly wasn't a dancer. But Alice had insisted, saying that I couldn't miss out on this experience. She called it a 'rite of passage' and said I'd regret it for years if I didn't go. Especially me, because I only had this one opportunity; I would be graduating in a month and I would never get another chance.

Alice had already conned her friend, Angela, into agreeing to go if someone were to ask her, and now she was working on me. I wasn't dating anyone at the time; actually, none of us had boyfriends, so we'd wind up going with whoever else wasn't already dating someone. There was really no one that I would feel comfortable asking, but Alice assured me that something would materialize.

Alice…such a devious friend.

She'd been right, of course. Alice would forever deny having anything to do with it but I'm sure she orchestrated Mike Newton inviting Angela and Ben Cheney asking me. The two boys were good friends, after all. Alice acted as though she were completely innocent when I told her that Ben, who was in my English class, had asked me on the exact same day that Mike, who was in Angela's Geometry class, asked her.

_Coincidence? I think not. More like: Alice._

It worked out well, I must admit. Since Mike and Ben were friends it made things more comfortable for the four of us to go to prom together. Ben was a little on the short side, though he was certainly taller than me. Mike was taller than Ben and was also taller than Angela, who was a fairly tall girl, compared to the other girls in her class. The arrangements had been carefully engineered.

_Alice._

The other couple in our little group was, of course, Alice and her date. She went with Eric Yorkie, a fellow dance student at the studio where Alice took lessons, and with whom she often danced at recitals. She wasn't interested in him romantically, but she knew he could dance, and they would look good together. That was important to her, after all.

Alice had been enthusiastic about all details of the prom; so much so, that she basically told Angela and me what we should wear, accessories included, how we should fix our hair, and even what make-up would best play up our features and go with our overall look. Alice was thorough. We had given ourselves manicures, pedicures, facial masques; basically everything Alice could think of.

On the evening of the prom, our dates arrived in Ben's father's big Suburban, so all six of us could ride together. They all looked so nice in their tuxedos. They came into the house, bringing corsages for us and helping us to put them on. I really did feel pretty in my dark green satin prom dress, with the little gold locket my father had given me for my sixteenth birthday, and the gold combs from my mother in my newly cut and curled hair.

I enjoyed seeing everyone dressed up at the prom. Boys you had only ever seen in jeans and t-shirts and sweatshirts were suddenly so handsome and seemed so refined in their tuxedos. The girls looked like elegant princesses in their gowns and dresses.

The scent from the flowers in the corsages permeated the air in the Forks High School gym, which had been transformed by the prom committee, led by head cheerleader, Rosalie Hale, into an exotic indoor forest, complete with faux leaf-less trees decorated with strands of white twinkling lights. "An Evening in the Enchanted Forest" had been the theme. It _was_ pretty, even though you knew it was still the gym.

The six of us had a rather fun time that evening. Eric Yorkie really _was _quite the dancer. Every time that Alice would want to take a break and sit down or get something to drink, some girl would ask Eric to dance. He didn't pirouette, though, like Edward had joked the evening before.

I smiled at that thought. Edward had shown a vague interest in our pre-prom activities. He had been there much of the evening before, when we spent the night with Alice. He had been hanging around most of the evening. He must not have had anything else to do. Why a boy his age would be interested in the activities of a couple of girls involved in their pre-prom primping, was beyond me. But he was cute. He asked questions, gave Alice a hard time, smirked at Angela and me, and smiled a lot.

Even the next night, the night of the prom, before we left from the Cullen's house, I had noticed Edward watching with interest as he sat on the couch with his sprained ankle, playing video games with his friend, Jasper. Our dates arrived in their tuxedos with our corsages. Edward seemed awfully surprised to see us girls so dressed up, so made up, and our hair so fixed up, and I felt his eyes on us as we stood there inside the doorway, putting on our corsages and giggling before we left with Ben, Mike and Eric.

The six of us sat together at the same table in the gym. None of us were romantically involved with each other, so we just had a good time dancing, talking, watching and commenting on those around us. When the prom was over, Ben drove everyone home, starting with Angela and Mike, who lived near one another, then Eric, whose home was on the way to the Cullen's, where he dropped Alice off before heading to my home.

As he drove us alone to my house, Ben mentioned what a good time he'd had that evening and asked if I'd like to go play miniature golf with him in Port Angeles the following weekend. I was terrible at any and all sports, but Ben was a nice guy, and I figured, sure, why not? We got to my house and Ben walked me to my door, where I realized he was going to kiss me. It was just a little peck on the cheek and he thanked me for going with him. He was a sweet date; a far cry from Tyler Crowley.

I went with Ben the following weekend to play miniature golf and again a few days after that to the diner for dinner. By this time I realized that Ben, though incredibly nice, was not going to be a major love interest for me. Ben was sweet, he was nice, but there was no strong pull there. There was no real chemistry. He wasn't the guy for me.

I also had an awful lot ahead of me this summer: I hoped to be working and taking classes at Forks Community College. I told Ben I was just too busy to get involved but that I had enjoyed our dates.

I think Ben must have sensed it coming. He was very gracious and very sweet about the whole thing. He told me he was going to be gone much of the summer anyway, visiting relatives in England with his family. In the end it worked out fine for the both of us.

**August 27…8 months ago**

**BPOV (25 years old)**

If I had thought Angela's announcement regarding Ben Cheney was a surprise, then Edward's comment afterward had really shocked me. I couldn't believe he still had that photograph of me and Ben at my prom.

_He'd kept it all this time?_

I was floored.

_Guys keep keepsakes? _

That prom photo wasn't even really _his_ keepsake. I'd given it to him when he was still just a junior high kid. He'd seen the pictures the day we'd gotten them back from school a few weeks after the prom. They were photos that had been professionally taken by a hired photographer that night. We'd posed beneath a little, white, lattice-work bower, decorated with vines and flowers.

Alice and I had been looking at her photos and mine earlier, before Edward's tutoring session. He had been curious and had asked to see them when we'd seated ourselves at the kitchen table. Once he'd seen my photos at the outset of that day's session, he had shyly asked if I had an extra one that he could have.

That had been the first day I'd realized young Edward Cullen must have had a little crush on me.

And now tonight, just moments ago, older Edward had admitted several rather remarkable things to me during that short, quiet conversation when Angela had left the table.

First of all, he had kept that wallet-sized photo of me and Ben for _a decade_. Secondly, he knew he still had that photo and he knew _right where it was_. Thirdly, he'd said it was with the photo he had of us at his senior prom, so he'd held onto _both_ of those seemingly insignificant photos all these years. Lastly, he had just referred to his prom as, '_our prom,'_ and I'd seen the awkward smile on his face when I'd pointed that out to him.

Suddenly I suspected that those photos weren't quite so insignificant to Edward Cullen.

I'm sure it was a combination of all those realizations that made me suddenly blush and feel nervous and uncomfortable and a little warm, just sitting there with him. I realized that older Edward Cullen maybe still had a bit of a crush on me.

I realized what a ridiculous thought it was almost as soon as it came to me. Nothing could happen between us; it would just be wrong for so many reasons. I knew that and he knew that as well. It wasn't just because of our age difference. There was more. We had such crazy history together between his junior high and high school years. It would have been wrong to consider Edward Cullen as more than a sweet boy back then and I certainly wasn't going to contemplate it now. Besides, I was already involved with someone…someone older…someone with whom I shared a much more normal, more acceptable history.

I'd made a promise to myself long ago: I was not going to make the same mistake that my own parents had made years ago, nor the numerous mistakes my mother continued to make for years afterward. I had vowed to never enter into a relationship with someone younger than myself, convinced the results of which would be just as catastrophic as my parents' own failed marriage. Because of my conviction, I had only ever dated guys who were older than me. I had seen what had happened to my own two parents, with my father being a few years younger than my mother. I had also lived with the aftermath of that first bad decision, as my mother chased younger man after younger man, never finding true happiness and a lasting relationship with any of them.

Well…until Phil Dwyer had come along and she'd married him. But that was surely a fluke.

When Angela had returned from her restroom trip the regular conversation resumed and I felt relieved. She wanted to know what Edward had been up to in the past few years, so he filled her in on the course of his education and living and working in Seattle.

The three of us visited about a half hour more before Edward announced that he had to leave. I knew he probably thought he was intruding, although he certainly wasn't; I'd enjoyed his company and I'm sure Angela did as well. But we couldn't persuade him to stay. He said he had a lot to do the next morning before coming back into work for the lunch crowd and he wanted to get a good night's sleep. His exhaustion was certainly understandable considering his family had just opened their second restaurant. I figured he'd probably helped with all of that and knew it had surely been a stressful few weeks.

Angela's eyes were on Edward's back as he headed out the door of Cullen's. When he disappeared from view she turned on me, peering intently over the top of her glasses, her lips pursed.

"Well," she said, "It looks like one of the Cullen boys has a crush on the Swan girl."

"What?" I yelped. "Oh, please, Angela! Edward doesn't have a crush on me. He was just being nice to friends he's known for years."

"Well, if you ask me, those _tapas_ were for you, not me, _Señorita Swan_, and he realized you needed a second drink before you even did, hand-delivering our tapas and your drink himself. And I don't know what you two were talking about when I came back from the ladies' room, but I could see 'moonstruck' all over Edward's ridiculously handsome face."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Angela, there are just so many reasons that would be wrong. You have no idea what you're talking about. Besides, I'm in a relationship and I'm committed to that relationship; I have no plans to rob the Cullen cradle."

"Okay, okay," Angela laughed, relenting finally. She signaled our waitress that we would like another round of drinks before turning back to me. "Just keep in mind that if that relationship doesn't work out, I'm pretty sure there is someone willing to step in and take over."

"Oh, Angela…really! Can we please just talk about something else?" I begged.

Angela leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table top, lacing her fingers together and perching her chin atop them. Her eyes flashed as she smiled across at me.

"Sure, Bella…tell me all about Jake."

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**A/N: I know, I know…I feel the same way you do about Jake. But stick with me here…we'll get to an ending you'll like. ;) Now tell me what you found buried in this chapter.**


	8. Girls Keep Keepsakes Too

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: Well, the initial reunion evening at Cullen's Bar and Grill is finally at an end in this chapter. That means we're going to start moving forwards! Now get ready for the Jake story, some pearls of wisdom from Angela, and a few more interesting, perhaps surprising, peeks into the past in the longest chapter yet. **

* * *

**Chapter 8: Girls Keep Keepsakes Too**

**August 27…8 months ago**

**BPOV (25 years old)**

Angela sat there waiting for me to spill the details of my relationship with Jake; at the very least, how it had all come about. Her eyebrows were raised expectantly.

"Um…Jake's good. He's great," I told her with a little grin. "He's really busy, but he's great."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Come on, Bella, tell me everything. I know bits and pieces but I want the whole story; from the very beginning. I know you've known Jake for a long time but I don't know the whole story behind that. Plus, I haven't been around: I've missed out on a lot. And you've kept these developments pretty close to the chest. So let's go…spill the story."

I sighed and then I smiled at her.

"Well, you know…isn't it a little funny? I mean, we'd been friends for such a long time and then for it to have turned into a relationship? I've known Jacob Black since I was very little, when I used to come back to Forks to stay with my dad during the summers. It's great to have a long history together, but don't you think it's a little odd that it turned into something more after all that time?"

"No! Not weird at all." Angela shook her head dismissively. "Happens all the time. People go through their lives, having experiences that change them and make them a different version of themselves. Sometimes someone you've known for years suddenly appears different to you because you and that person have both changed. You never expected it but that person becomes exactly the right person for you.

"Take me and Ben, for example. We knew each other in high school; we had a few classes together. I also knew him from helping out at the baseball games when I would keep score for Coach Clapp. I never once thought of Ben in any kind of a romantic way back then. In fact, I always had this big hang up about being so tall, I would never have even considered him romantically because I always thought my boyfriends should be taller than me...and Ben was shorter than me. I would never have even considered him as boyfriend material.

"But things change. I've gone out with plenty of taller guys since high school that turned out to be complete assholes. Yes, they were tall, but they were lacking in other areas. I realized that I was cutting myself off from a good number of guys simply because of their height. Then I realized, if a guy is confident enough with himself and doesn't care that I'm taller, why should I care? Tall isn't so important to me anymore. There are more important characteristics than height. I want to find someone who is wonderful and who thinks I'm wonderful in return. Ben seems to think I'm pretty wonderful. I'm here in Forks to find out just how wonderful he is."

Angela was beaming at me by the time she finished her explanation. I felt happy for her and Ben and I was glad for her that she had decided to give things a shot with him here in Forks. Well, I was glad to have her back here for me as well; I'd always liked Angela. She was bright and funny and such a kind person and just so easy to talk to. She was probably the most down-to-earth friend I'd ever had.

The waitress was suddenly back at our table, setting our fresh drinks in front of us and asking if we needed anything else. We both shook our heads and thanked her as she collected our empty glasses and then she departed once again.

Angela smiled softly and she leaned toward me across the table.

"Enough about me and Ben and my newfound appreciation for shorter men. Let's get back to you and Jacob Black. I don't think it's weird that you are involved now. You've known each other a long time and that's a strong basis for a relationship, right?" Angela picked up her drink and took a sip and settled back into her chair, getting comfortable and waiting for my story.

"Yeah, I've known Jake forever," I said, twirling my straw in my glass, thinking back to my ancient history. "After my parents divorced, when I was just a toddler, my mom moved back to California, taking me with her. We would make short visits occasionally, but eventually, when I was old enough to be put on a plane by myself, I would come visit Charlie during the summers and we would do things with the Blacks because they had become his support system.

"Billy Black was my dad's best friend. My dad, Billy, and Jake's mom, Sarah, often spent time together, hanging out and letting us kids play. I think Billy and Charlie must have gotten even closer though when Sarah was killed in a car accident." I glanced up at Angela and she was nodding, wearing a sad little smile. "Jake was nine at the time. His twin sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, were six, like me." I paused and took a sip of my drink, replacing it on the napkin before continuing. Angela waited patiently.

"I used to call the twins my 'summer sisters' and Jake was like a sweet, older brother. He was always rather protective of us and very playful with us too." I smiled at the sudden memory of me and the girls running along First Beach in La Push at about eight or nine years of age, shrieking with laughter, being chased by a growling and grinning eleven or twelve year old Jake, pretending to be a wild animal about to attack us.

"What are you thinking about?" Angela asked with a smile before sipping at her drink.

"I'm just remembering the four of us, playing together when we were little. The summers here were a lot of fun because of the Blacks. I remember barbeques at their house or ours and bonfires down at the beach. We always did a lot together during those summers.

"When I got a little older I developed the worst crush on Jake." I laughed as I admitted this to Angela. "My mom and I had moved from California to Phoenix by then. I think I was in eighth grade at the time, about thirteen years old, so Jake would have been about sixteen. Suddenly he was the cutest thing I'd ever seen, with his long flowing hair, dark eyes and flashing white teeth in that big, sunny smile of his. He seemed to have gotten so tall suddenly, too. Of course it was just my luck that it was right around the time Jake got his license and began driving and hanging out more with some of the boys he knew from the reservation. At that point he couldn't be bothered very much with his younger sisters, so that pretty much left me out, too."

"Timing is everything!" Angela giggled and I joined her, nodding in agreement.

"Tell me about it! That wasn't the best summer I spent with my dad in Forks. I think I moped my way through July and August and my dad was probably so relieved when he put me on the plane back to my mom in Phoenix at the end of that very painful summer."

"Was the following summer any better, once you were a high school student?" Angela asked.

"No, actually starting that summer I didn't stay in Forks for more than a few weeks. I'd begun taking summer school classes in Phoenix that year, which took up most of my summers, leaving only a short window of time in August for a visit. By then Jake's dad was having issues with diabetes. Our families didn't do as much together until I moved here my junior year. And even then, I was working that first semester at the Spoons-n-Forks and didn't have a lot of time between school and homework and my job. After Christmas I quit my job and that was when I fell into the tutoring thing with Edward when he was in eighth grade, during my final semester of high school."

I paused to drink some of my gin and tonic.

"You never dated Jake when you were in high school, then?" Angela asked after taking a thoughtful sip of her own drink.

"Oh, heavens no! My crush had come and gone in the years in between. We were in such different places in our lives and so busy in our own little worlds. By the time he was nineteen he was already working at the La Push Garage and dating a girl from the reservation. That was when he and his buddies had also formed their band and began spending their evenings and weekends working on their music.

"I really didn't see too much of him while I finished high school and started community college, and even less so once I transferred to UDub to finish my degree and get my teaching credential. It was just the occasional Mariners or Seahawks game when I happened to be home that would bring them all over to watch the game on my dad's big screen TV. Rebecca, Rachel and I would hang out and make dinner while the men watched their game. Jake was always a good friend; he was just more of a big brother to me at that point. We never actually went on a real date until about a year ago when it was just Billy and Jake living at their house anymore.

"Jake's sister, Rebecca, had moved to Hawaii. She'd met a Samoan surfer when she'd been on a vacation with some girlfriends from art school. Apparently it was love at first sight. When her girlfriends came home, Rebecca stayed behind for a few more weeks. When she finally did come home it was only to pack up her things and then she went back to Hawaii and married the guy.

"Rachel, his other sister, had transferred to Washington State in Pullman, clear on the other side of the state. That's like an eight hour drive away. She wasn't able to come home often and that pretty much left Jake to help take care of his dad and his health issues. By then Billy's diabetes had left him wheelchair bound and he needed Jake's assistance to get around.

"The two of them had always been close, but at that point, spending so much time together, they really got even closer. Jake became his dad's chauffeur, once Billy was no longer able to get around as easily. Jake would make sure that his dad still had an active social life. The two of them often went fishing with my dad and Harry Clearwater. And sometimes Jake would just bring his dad over to our house where they would hang out, watching sports on TV, commenting on the games as they shared some beers and visited.

"I've always been glad to cook for the four of us when I was home and when I moved back to Forks for good. Even after I moved out of my dad's house and into my own apartment I would go over to make dinners when I knew they were going to be there; in fact, I still do. We do Sunday dinners together; that way my dad has some leftovers for during the week. I've always enjoyed cooking and I'm happy they get so much enjoyment out of the meals I make; they always rave about my cooking skills." I paused and smiled. "They're probably just so glad they aren't the ones doing the cooking."

Angela snickered. "Yeah, my guess is it was probably all a big scam they'd concocted to keep themselves out of the kitchen."

I laughed. "You're probably right."

"So, go on…" Angela urged with a smile. "Let's get to the good stuff!"

"One night, almost a year ago, Jake was helping me in Charlie's kitchen after dinner. He usually helped me with the clean-up while our dad's relaxed. I was washing the dishes and he was drying. We were talking and laughing about something. Suddenly things quieted down and in that moment Jake took the bowl I had been washing out of my hands and set it down along with the dish towel he'd been holding. When I looked up at his face I saw something I'd never seen there before in his eyes. There was a soft warmth there; a tenderness. He was looking at me differently and I realized he didn't seem quite so big-brotherly all of a sudden.

"I got butterflies in my stomach instantly because I knew he was about to kiss me. And I realized I wanted him to do so…desperately. And he did. And I kissed him back. And that was that. Things between us changed in that moment. He spent the rest of the evening with me; our fathers and the game on TV completely forgotten. We snuck outside for a walk, and talked a lot. And kissed a little more. He was a different and wonderful Jake that night and I felt so much like that adolescent girl who had had a crush on him so many years earlier. When I got to my apartment and went to bed later that night, I just lay there with a big smile on my face because it had come out of nowhere and yet it felt so right; like it was always supposed to happen."

I looked up at Angela, realizing I had been talking non-stop for quite a while. She had a big broad grin on her face.

"That's so romantic!" she finally gushed with a little laugh, hugging herself as she said it..

"Yeah, right!" I laughed. "Because a first kiss over the kitchen sink while doing dishes is straight out of a romance novel!"

"No, I mean the way you told it. And just the whole idea. Here you've known him for years; known him in a different context and suddenly the world shifts on its axis, time stands still and you find yourself locked in a kiss. And since you'd known each other for so many years you can always tell people you had 'everything but the kitchen sink,' and then you even had that as well!"

I laughed at her summation. She was right in a way. He'd been my playmate as a child. He'd been the object of my crush as an adolescent. He'd been like an older brother for years. He'd been my friend forever. And now we'd been in a relationship for nearly a year.

_I _have_ had everything, including the kitchen sink, with him._

"I guess I do have everything with him," I agreed with a smile. "I just wish I had more of him. He's always so busy between working at the garage and spending time on his music, playing in the band with the guys. He has very little free time.

"You _know_ how much he loves to putter on cars…I think Jake has been tinkering around on cars since he was old enough to wield a wrench. I'm not sure if you know he and Sam Uley partnered and bought out the La Push Garage. They don't just work there, they own it now and the shop doesn't just do automotive and body work; they take on special projects now, too."

"You mean I can turn to Jake if I want him to 'pimp my ride?'" Angela asked with a snicker.

"Exactly," I laughed back at her. "Though I might be upset if you do, because that will just mean more hours he's busy and less hours we'll see each other. He works a full work week, the guys practice a couple times a week, which sometimes involves the weekends, and then they often get jobs on Friday and Saturday nights. And that only seems to be picking up as they build a following among the locals here in Forks and in Port Angeles."

"They must be pretty good by now," Angela said. "I'd like to hear them play sometime. I don't remember…what's the name of their band? And are they all the same guys he used to play with?" Her brows knitted together as she waited for my answer.

"The band's name is 'Shape Shifter.' Same guys." Angela nodded but I elaborated. "Sam Uley does lead vocals and plays guitar, Jake also plays guitar and sings back-up, Paul Lahote is their bass player and sings back-up too, Embry Call plays keyboards and whatever else they need, and Quil Ateara is on the drums, also singing back-up. They have gotten pretty good and of course we can go hear them sometime, if you'd like. That would be fun."

"Sounds great," she agreed.

We visited for a little while longer before deciding to call it a night. We closed out our tab…well, Edward's tab…and left a generous tip for the waitress who had been very attentive. I had a sneaking suspicion Edward had requested that of her.

With a big hug just outside the door Angela and I parted ways for at least the next few days. She had some plans with Ben and I would be spending the next day, Saturday, over at my dad's helping to clean the house a little and make some stock-up meals for the week ahead. On Sunday Jake and Billy would be joining us for dinner, as usual. I knew I wouldn't see Jake until then since the band was playing tonight and tomorrow night in Port Angeles. By the time they finished, packed up, returned to La Push, unwound and got some sleep, it wouldn't be until later in the afternoon before he surfaced. And tomorrow night he'd be back in Port Angeles, doing it all over again. But we would have Sunday evening together.

I climbed into my truck and headed for my apartment and a good night's sleep.

**EPOV (23 years old)**

When I'd left Bella and Angela at the bar I'd headed up the street to where I'd parked my car earlier in the day. I thought about the evening I'd just had and I thought about the past few years of my life.

I had spent the last two years living in Seattle, staying away from Forks after the debacle on my twenty-first birthday when I'd had way too much to drink and had crossed the line and had kissed Isabella Swan, receiving a slap for my brutish efforts. The following summer, at Rose and Emmett's wedding, she'd tried to soften that blow from a year ago, apologizing and talking to me and explaining her actions. I'd completely understood though; I'd actually known it was a bad idea beforehand…I just hadn't been able to stop myself and really didn't try very hard anyway.

In the two years since that kiss I'd been trying to just move on and get over my fruitless obsession with Bella Swan. But tonight proved, once again, just how futile that would be. At least things hadn't been tense more than just the first few minutes. I found myself wondering now if she came into Cullen's often. Maybe I would begin seeing her, or at least running into her, with regularity again, now that I'd be working here and living in Forks. I only wished that I were actually _seeing her_; and that she were able to truly see me. But that was part of the problem. She never really saw me for what I really was or wanted to be.

Circumstances and timing had always worked against me. I wondered it that would ever change. It had become a certainty after ten years that my feelings for her wouldn't.

Part of the hold she had on me stemmed from how she'd helped me turn my life around in a relatively short time, back when I was a kid. I had been headed for disaster and wasn't interested in anything that anyone tried to do to put a stop to that, until Bella came along. She'd changed the trajectory of my life. I'd wanted to please her from day one. It had been my driving force that entire second half of my eighth grade year. When the school year ended; it took me by surprise and I was at a loss because I wouldn't be seeing her regularly like when she'd tutored me.

Unfortunately I was still so hung up on that same girl I'd come to know during the end of junior high. My thoughts had traveled back in time earlier in the evening and they were headed there again now.

**June 15…10 years ago**

**EPOV (13 years old, 8****th**** grade)**

Prom came and went at the end of May and though I had hoped Bella wouldn't have too good of a time with Ben Cheney, she did begin dating him, but only for a little while. I knew, based on things Alice had said, that they'd had a fun time the night of the prom, and that he'd asked her out a few more times after that. He was a nice guy, but he just wasn't the right kind of guy for her. He was a smart guy, but he verged on being a nerd. I just didn't see Bella with someone like him. He was friendly but he had sort of an awkward sense of humor, and I thought Bella needed someone who could put really a smile on her face and make her laugh and maybe even make her blush once in a while because she was really cute when she did that.

May hurtled on into June and before I knew it, the school year was coming to an end for both of us. We were not just finishing our school year out; we were moving on to different schools. I was graduating from eighth grade; I would be 14 years old in a week, and I would be starting at Forks High School in the fall. I would be a freshman, with four years of school to go before I could go to a college or a university. At least Bella had helped me to pull my grades up, and now higher education was the definite direction my life would be taking.

Alice and I would overlap one year together at high school. She would still be at Forks High for one year. That worked out well for me. She would be able to drive me to and from school, since I wouldn't have a driver's license yet. That would probably work out unless I got involved in sports at school. If I played sports, Alice would be done with her school day before me. I was certain she wouldn't want to hang around and give me a ride home. She had her own whirlwind life to lead. But that wouldn't be so bad; I could always cut through the back of the high school, past the church, along the edge of the woods and across the grounds of the old Forks Community Park to get to the neighborhood where we lived. It really wasn't too far to walk, even if you were carrying a sport bag and backpack; it would just mean you'd get a little more of a workout.

I honestly wasn't so sure about sports in school, though I liked playing sports in general and I could do a few things quite well. I just didn't know if I'd like the whole 'being-a-team-player' sort of thing. I'd always been competitive, but I liked to do my own thing. I didn't know if I could handle the discipline of being on a team. I talked about it with Bella and she had snorted, saying that I was a lot more disciplined than I gave myself credit for.

I guessed I'd figure that all out in the summer. For now, I just had a week of school left. I missed a tutoring session with Bella because she had to prepare for her final exams. My school didn't give final exams; we were just finishing up chapters and taking chapter tests. But it would be my last opportunity to raise my grades.

Emmett, Rose and Bella all graduated on a Wednesday evening, smack in the middle of June. The auditorium at the high school was packed. I sat with Alice and my parents. It was the first time I'd been to a graduation ceremony. The seniors looked ridiculous in their caps and gowns. Who dreamed up that corny outfit? I nudged Alice, whispering to her that I bet she could really update that look. She laughed and rolled her eyes, saying she'd start by shortening the girls' gowns by about three feet. I gave her a big smile and my fist; waiting for her to pound it, which she did with a smirk.

We sat watching the dignified event, listening to speeches by the principal, the district superintendent, the president of the senior class and the valedictorian. A few of the parents in the audience were dabbing tissues to their eyes. The event was dignified until a beach ball appeared and was batted around by the graduating seniors before Coach Clapp managed to grab it and let the air out, scowling at a few boys from the football team. I was willing to bet my savings account on Emmett. He had a hard time maintaining dignity. Thank God this wasn't a funeral because he would surely find humor in that situation as well.

I saw Bella, seated between two students I didn't know. She looked serious but excited. I knew she was anxious to move on from high school. I saw her eyes roaming the auditorium and suddenly I thought she was looking at me. I raised my hand up near my chest and gave a little wave, not sure if she would see it, or even if she was actually looking at me. But she grinned happily then, so I knew she had seen me. I gave her a thumbs-up and her smile broadened a little more.

When the speeches were over they began calling the students up by name to pick up their diplomas. We applauded for the seniors we knew. When Mike Newton's name was called, we heard numerous duck calls. The little wooden gadgets that made the noise, and were used for duck hunting, had probably all been purchased at The Outdoorsman, the shop owned by his parents. Newton turned to the seniors and lifted his arms in triumph before bowing to them. The crowd giggled. And clapped. And quacked.

Once the ceremony was over, graduates and families and friends spilled out onto the cement patio in front of the auditorium. Everyone was congratulating each other and taking photos and talking excitedly. I saw Bella standing with her father, Police Chief Swan. He wasn't wearing his uniform but rather a suit and tie and he looked very proud of his daughter. They made their way over to my family. Suddenly my mom was hugging Bella, and then my father did so next, congratulating her. It went on down the line: Emmett and Alice both hugged her and then she was suddenly standing in front of me and I was congratulating her like the rest of them. I put my arms around her and gave her a hug like they had done. I felt a little surprised at my good fortune and at just how small and slender and warm and soft she was. She smelled wonderful, too, like ripe berries in the summer sun.

Shortly afterwards the graduates were heading into the gymnasium for Casino Night, run by the Forks High School staff and parent volunteers to give the graduates a safe Grad Night. They would keep them there until the wee hours of the morning, playing games, dancing, serving snacks, drinks, and eventually an extra early breakfast, in a bid to keep them all entertained and sober and alive and not some tragic post-graduation celebration statistic.

I thought it seemed like a fun evening, especially if you were going off to some other destination soon. It was a last huge opportunity to hang with your gang before you dove off your box and plunged into your life. I was glad knowing that Bella would be safe and not out doing something crazy with other graduates.

Two days after the high school graduation ceremony, on the day of my eighth grade graduation from Forks Junior High School, there was a little ceremony for all of the eighth graders and their family and friends. I guess it was a graduation of sorts. Certainly nothing like the high school one had been. We didn't have to wear goofy caps and gowns, thank God. It wasn't like we were leaving some institution of higher learning, after all. You'd have to be pretty stupid not to graduate from junior high.

I'd almost been that stupid.

Bella came to the ceremony and stood with my parents, Emmett and Alice. I think the whole family felt she'd deserved some special trophy or medal for turning me around. My mother had bought Bella a thank you card and had put a check inside, a kind of a bonus I guess, for helping me to stay on the straight and narrow all these months. I had a little gift for her as well, but I wanted to give it to her privately so I wouldn't embarrass myself in front of my whole family.

I stood there with my class, prepared for the ceremony, waiting for them to call my name and hand me the little rolled and tied piece of paper that said I was done with junior high and could indeed move on. I looked over at Bella, sitting between Alice and Emmett, and she waved. Alice and Emmett were oblivious. I smiled at her recognition of me and my efforts. She was proud of me. She'd said so and I could see it plainly on her face.

My name was finally called and I managed to climb up the steps, walk across the little stage, shake hands with the principal and return to my seat without slipping, tripping, stumbling, or falling off the stage. When the ceremony was over and all the names had been called, everyone sort of milled around, waiting for the eighth graders to stop running around, shouting and yelling and taking photos with family and friends. My dad took a few pictures of me and Jasper before he had to leave with his parents and grandparents.

"Well," my dad said, "We have dinner reservations for six people at Bella Italia in Port Angeles to celebrate. I hope you're still planning on joining us, Bella?"

"Oh, of course, Dr. Cullen! I've been looking forward to it all day. And I'm happy to drive as well. I know we can't all fit into your car and my truck is right over there," she said pointing to her rusting red behemoth.

Alice made some noise about riding with Bella, but then Emmett surprised me, shutting Alice down and managing to come up with some reason why Bella and I should drive together, saying we needed to 'debrief' from all of the tutoring sessions. I looked at him in surprise, waiting to be the butt of some horrendous joke of his, but he just winked and then clapped me on the back. To say I was shocked would be an understatement.

When we got to the restaurant we were seated immediately. Again, Emmett managed to maneuver things so that I was seated next to Bella. I wondered if this was some sort of graduation present from him. But still, I was waiting for the call of the wild jackass: the signature guffaw. But it never came...it was amazing.

We all sat and had dinner, talking about the highs and lows of the past school year. I won the prize for the lowest low, with my near disaster of an eighth grade year. We all clinked our glasses in a toast celebrating my graduation as opposed to my departure for some juvenile boot camp where I would be forced to dig holes in the hot sun and march around and dehydrate in the desert somewhere for a month in the summer.

Bella and Emmett talked about college. They were both going to the local community college for now, for two years, although Bella thought she could do it faster; maybe in a year and a half or even a year, if she took summer classes and a heavy class load. I smiled at her, listening to her plans and goals. She was so focused; everything so mapped out; it was really impressive. After community college, Bella and Emmett both had plans to transfer to a four-year school, probably the University of Washington, just a couple hours away.

Summer plans were discussed too. Alice had just been hired at The Outdoorsman; the Newton's sporting goods store, in the women's sportswear department. She was already imagining putting together cutting edge ensembles on the headless mannequins they had. I don't think she had really looked very closely at the type of clothing they sold in Newton's. She told Bella that they were hiring for the summer and Bella said she'd go check it out the next day. She needed another job, now that my tutoring had come to an end.

I'd talked to my buddy, Jasper, the day before, and he was hell-bent on us trying out for football. I figured what the hell, it might be fun, get me in shape, build some muscle, and occupy my time now that I no longer had tutoring sessions with Bella to look forward to three times a week. I decided then and there, that if Bella worked at Newton's I would shop there a little less reluctantly and probably more frequently. I just sure as hell hoped I didn't have to buy a protective cup for football from her. I'd send my dad for that purchase; maybe she'd think he was buying it for himself.

We had finished our dinners and had ordered dessert. Emmett had wolfed down his chocolate cake and was polishing off the remainder of Alice's Tiramisu. Bella had picked a cheesecake. I'd already finished my spumoni ice cream. When Bella decided she couldn't eat that whole hunk of cheesecake, she pushed the plate toward me, asking if I wanted the rest of it.

I picked up the fork, her fork, and as I took a bite I realized that I wasn't just sharing her cheesecake, I was sharing her saliva. It was nowhere near as good as making out with her would have been, but she was sharing her saliva with me. How many guys could claim that? I thought it was just a little bit sexy. Sexy enough that my pants were suddenly slightly uncomfortable.

As the dinner conversation continued, my mind wandered. I fantasized about her turning to me, feeding forkfuls of cheesecake to me. I imagined her turning to my family and saying that we were meant to be together, and then climbing into my lap and making out with me between bites of cheesecake while my family looked on in awe.

That didn't happen, though.

The bill came, my father took out his wallet and paid, and soon we were all heading back to Forks. The driving arrangements were the same on the way back home as they had been on the trip to Port Angeles.

I had never been in Bella's truck at night before. For some reason, I felt just a little bit of an electric current the moment we were seated together in the dark on that old leatherette bench seat. I think it was just me, being hyper aware of her and the scent of her shampoo or perfume, or soap, or something lovely. She didn't seem affected by whatever that zippy little charge was, so I decided she probably didn't sense it like I did.

When we pulled up to the house, everyone else had already beaten us home and had gone inside. Bella pulled up to the curb and turned the engine off. I was about to pull the present I had for her out of my pocket when she suddenly leaned forward toward the glove compartment and opened it up, pulling out a gift-wrapped package and handing it to me.

"It isn't much, Edward but I wanted to get you something for all your hard work; you really turned yourself around. Anyway…go ahead, open it." She waved a hand at it.

I unwrapped the gift. It was a small, leather bound planner; a calendar of sorts about the size of a thin, small book. A gift card suddenly fell out onto my lap and I picked it up, looking at it in the dim light of the streetlight outside.

"It's a gift card for The Bookshelf bookstore in Port Angeles, that's where I bought the planner a couple weeks ago," she explained. "The next time you go to Port Angeles you can pick out something you'd like to read and it's on me," she said with a smile. And then she glanced back at the day planner I still held in my hands.

"And this…" she said, scooting over a little closer to me, opening it to show me the inside, "this is to help you keep yourself focused since you won't have me leaning on you three times a week to make sure you meet deadlines and keep track of your homework assignments. Look inside." She had a little secret smile on her face.

I flipped the little book open and turned a few pages. I was surprised when I saw the book had already been written in. I looked a little more closely. It was _her_ handwriting. On the weekend days she had neatly written small notes to me. Motivational things, mostly. They weren't trite sayings either, they were the kinds of things Bella would say to me. I could hear her voice saying them as I read and flipped forward through more pages.

"You wrote all this stuff in? For the whole year?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah. It's a pocket planner for the coming year so you don't get behind in high school. There's even a countdown until winter break, spring break and summer vacation. And there are reminders of important school events…I got that information for next year from Mrs. Cope in the front office at Forks High. And my home phone number is in there in case you have a question about something, although if you ever really need help with something, I'd be glad to tutor you again."

She shrugged as she settled back, like the gift was no big deal, but I thought it was terrific. It would be a little like having a part of her with me as I looked at some of the things she'd written.

"Bella, this is great," I told her sincerely. "You put a lot of time and thought into it. I'm not going to let you down…I'm not going to let _myself _down. I'm going to work hard in high school." I looked back down at the little leather-bound planner, turning it over in my hand. "This was really thoughtful."

I paused for a second, wanting to tell her just how much she had influenced me but unsure how to start. And then I just blurted it all out.

"Bella, I've got to tell you…I didn't want a tutor at first. I was happy doing a terrible job in school, I thought. That first day you showed up at our house…I was prepared to make the whole experience miserable for you so you'd give up and quit." I suddenly felt sort of embarrassed, wondering if she thought I was babbling but then I plunged on. "You took me by surprise, though. You treated me like your equal, not like some dumb loser kid. You made me want to listen to you and learn from you. And I had fun, too. You're a really great girl, Bella. And you're going to be a really great teacher someday. Thank you."

She laughed quietly. "I appreciate your honesty, Edward. And the compliment and vote of confidence. That was actually one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me regarding me becoming a teacher." She smiled before continuing.

"I really enjoyed working with you. It's the first time I've worked with an older student. I mean, for all intents and purposes, you _are_ a high school student as of today. And you're brighter than many high school students. You learn things quickly and retain them well. I enjoyed our conversations and discussions, whether they were regarding algebra, literature, history, science or just movies and TV shows we had watched, or even local Forks gossip. I'm going to miss our sessions. You've become a friend to me, you know?"

I felt myself blushing a little. I mumbled a thank you, feeling a little overwhelmed at all the compliments she had just paid me. I was quiet for a moment. And then I suddenly remembered my gift for her. I reached into my jacket pocket, fingering the little package that held my gift for Bella. I hoped she would like it.

"Oh, hey, I have something for you, too. I, uh, I wanted to thank you for helping me so much and for making it fun, too. And this is also partly a graduation present. Here."

I handed her the little package. She unwrapped it and opened the little box inside, lifting the lid and then gently lifting out the little gold bracelet within. It was a thin gold chain with a single charm attached…a very small four-leafed clover, also made of gold.

"Oh, my! Edward, this is so pretty." Her voice was soft and she seemed kind of touched. I knew she hadn't expected anything, because that was the kind of girl she was.

"It's for good luck…" I explained lamely. "You know, for your future."

She looked up suddenly with a shy little smile. "I don't know if I've ever needed luck before but I could probably use some now, starting college and all."

"Nah," I disagreed," you'll be fine…but just to be on the safe side, you know?" I grinned at her. "Do you want me to put it on you?" I asked hesitantly, hoping she truly did like it and wasn't just saying that to make me feel good.

"Yeah, would you?" She held it out to me and I took it, unclasping the little catch.

I had to scoot a little closer and bent down over her wrist, squinting a little to see in the poor light thrown by the streetlight. I wondered again if she felt the crackling in the atmosphere like I did.

"I'd turn on the inside dome light, but the wiring is bad and it doesn't work," Bella murmured.

That brought a chuckle to my lips. "Why does that not surprise me?" I mumbled as I worked at fastening her bracelet.

She tried to elbow me but I was too fast for her and turned my body out of her reach, laughing, just as I managed to finally hook the clasp of the bracelet.

I smirked at her. "Sorry about the truck comment. I couldn't keep it in."

She smiled back wryly. "I'll get over it." She paused a moment, holding up her arm to look at the dainty little charm affixed to the fine gold chain. "Thank you for the lovely bracelet, Edward. It's a really nice gift. You probably spent too much money on it."

I shrugged. "My dad started giving me my allowance again once my grades pulled up. I don't spend my money on much. It was definitely worth it."

I think she blushed but I couldn't be too sure.

"I'd better get going, Edward. Thank you so much for the bracelet; I really like it."

"You're welcome, Bella. I hope it brings you luck for your future. Thanks for the planner; that was really cool."

She shrugged. "I just want you to know I'm proud of you. You can obviously do anything you put your mind to, you know? I'm excited for you to begin high school. You have so many opportunities open before you; high school and college beyond that."

Before I knew what was happening she had moved closer to give me a quick hug and a little kiss on my cheek. I was stunned. I blushed furiously, but I don't think she could tell because it was so dark in the truck.

"I know you'll do something great someday," she added. "Congratulations."

I climbed out of the truck and stood on the curb and waved to her as she drove away. Then I went for a long walk in the night air. I would have liked to have told her that the great thing I'd want to do someday would be to love her; if she'd ever give me the chance.

**August 27…8 Months ago**

**BPOV (25 years old)**

When I got to my apartment I closed and locked the front door and then padded off to the bathroom to take a quick shower. I pulled on some clean pajamas afterwards, dried my hair and brushed my teeth before climbing into bed and turning out the light. I lay there for a few minutes before I sat back upright and turned the bedside light back on. I threw back the covers, heading into the living room, flicking on the light as I went. I selected two of the photo albums off the bookshelf and headed back to my bedroom, turning the living room light off as I went.

I settled back onto the bed, arranging the pillows behind me and covering my legs with the blankets. I pulled one of the photo albums into my lap. I turned to the pages at the back, finding the one I'd been seeking. A professionally-taken photo of me in my green prom dress standing with Ben Cheney, beneath a little, white, lattice-work bower, decorated with vines and flowers. A photo identical to the one that Edward Cullen still had in his possession.

On the next page were a few more photos; snapshots taken by Edward's father, the night of the prom. In one we were all lined up: first Alice and Eric, followed by me and Ben, with Angela and Mike at the other side. Angela was standing next to Ben, their height difference noticeable, though she was wearing heels, which emphasized it even more. I smiled as I looked down at that photo. The new Angela might just go out and buy even higher heels before she stood next to her shorter love interest.

The following few pages had some photos from my graduation. I looked at the one where I was standing with my father. He hadn't changed at all in the last ten years. I examined my face, searching for differences in my appearance that I also didn't see. Turning the page I saw a photo of me and Rose, flanking Emmett; the three of us in our silly caps and gowns. And then there was a big group shot: my dad standing next to Carlisle and Esme Cullen, followed by Emmett, Rose and me in our graduation attire. Next to me stood a nearly-fourteen-year-old Edward Cullen with Alice on his other side. The Edward Cullen in this photo was the raw material for the Edward Cullen I had met up with in the bar tonight. He had changed the most of all the faces I examined.

I smiled as I closed that album and picked up the other one. I flipped past page after page of my college years. I finally found the section I wanted.

In the first photo I stood with my high school Spanish teacher, mentor, friend and Master Teacher, Mrs. Goff, shortly before her retirement. It was her last year as Forks High School's Spanish teacher. She'd referred to me as her 'star pupil' and she'd been my favorite teacher. She had influenced the course of my life in my studies and career choice. She was mentoring me as I took over teaching three of her classes in my final semester before receiving my teaching credential from the University of Washington.

In the next photo, Loretta Goff and I stood together once again. Her husband, Gerald, stood on the far side of her. We were dressed elegantly as we stood for the photo within the confines of a little, white, lattice-work bower, decorated with little twinkle lights. On the other side of me was my date for the evening: Jacob Black in a tuxedo. His thick, black hair had been recently cropped at the time of the photo. The camera had captured his bright megawatt smile and dark flashing eyes. It hadn't really been a date, though; I'd just managed to con him into attending the prom with me since I was helping to chaperone the event. I was coming up on twenty-one and he was twenty-four and we'd gone there that night as nothing more than friends.

I turned the page, looking for the last photo I wanted to carefully study. It was the same me from the same night more than five years ago: a smiling, nearly twenty-one-year-old me in a sleeveless charcoal gray satin gown with a square-cut neckline standing next to a tall, nearly-eighteen-year-old boy, looking elegant in his tux. His arm was around the back of my waist; I could see his long fingers curled against my side. His wild coppery-bronze hair was catching the light above his startlingly handsome smiling face, but he was looking down at my face; his eyes focused entirely on me. It was Miss Swan, the Spanish teacher, "_Señorita Swan,_" with her own 'star pupil,' high school senior and my Spanish 4 student, Edward Cullen.

* * *

**A/N: I can't help but wonder what you are thinking about Jake (you learned a lot about him), Angela (and her words of wisdom), the graduation/thank-you gift exchange, and all those silent photos that seem to say so much.**


	9. Two Rites, Same Night

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: This sure didn't go where I had intended it to go. I'm anxious to hear what you think. And I'm a little bit afraid. ;)**

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**Chapter 9: Two Rites, Same Night**

**August 27…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

It was just shy of ten o'clock when I pulled into the driveway of my parents' house, opening the garage door as I parked the car. The Mercedes was gone. That's when I remembered that my parents had a function to attend this evening in Port Angeles. Some fundraiser for the hospital. I was a little relieved to find myself home alone, not feeling like really talking with anyone. I was glad it was just my parents and I in the house at this point but I was even happier that it was just me for the evening.

I really needed to get my own place. Especially if Alice was moving back home. Things weren't turning out well for her in fashion design in Los Angeles and she was packing up and moving back to Forks; she would be returning next weekend. It's not that Alice and I didn't get a long, we did, we got along really well; we had a better relationship than Emmett and I did. It was just that it would feel too much like high school all over again if we were both still living here under the same roof with our parents once again.

Another reason why I wanted my own place was I wanted to be able to come and go as I pleased. I wouldn't be home during the week until one or two a.m. and I didn't want to have to worry about disturbing my parents if I came home and wanted to watch TV or play the guitar or piano at odd hours. And I'd gotten used to my privacy. That was hard to give up after having it for the past couple of years. Plus it was just kind of irritating, taking that step back and staying in your childhood home, sleeping in your childhood bed when you'd already been off on your own. That actually really sucked.

I headed into the house, shutting the garage door and tossing my keys on the little console table right inside. I walked into the darkened kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing a beer. I'd only had the one drink this evening and I was feeling like I could use another one.

I opened the sliding door that lead out onto the patio and took a seat on a chair facing the woods beyond our yard. Just me and my beer. And my thoughts. I picked at the label on the beer bottle, making a little pile of crumbs on my lap as I drank that beer.

I'd been trying to catch up to Bella all these years; trying to grow up quickly so I could be the man with whom she'd fall in love. But we were never at the same place in our lives at the same time. I was stuck behind her, because of my age, even though I'd tried to catch my life up to hers, to push myself to get on with being an adult as quickly as I could.

Bella, in the meantime, had moved right along with her education, career and life. She'd also drifted from one unsuitable relationship to another. It was easy for me to take that point of view, I had put her on a pedestal and every other guy she had ever dated never seemed to quite understand just how wonderful and truly special and beautiful she was. They hadn't all been as awful as asinine Tyler Crowley. She'd been more careful after that situation. But they just never seemed to get it. Or get her. The relationships had never really lasted, either, so she must have felt things were never really quite right with them either.

I took another swig of my beer as I thought about my own pitiful love life.

Just like Bella's relationships, mine had never lasted long either. That goes without saying, I guess, since she'd always been at the back of my mind. Of course I'd flirted with girls and later with women. I'd dated. Actually, I'd dated a lot. For some reason I'd never had a difficult time hooking up with girls. There had been random girlfriends through the years, but really, none of those relationships had been very serious and few had ever lasted for very long. God knows I tried to find someone that could just take her place and make that obsession go away. But it had been useless. No one had ever come close to making me forget her.

For a period of time in high school and college I'd only gone out with brown-haired, brown-eyed girls, hoping someone would eclipse the feelings I had for her. But it had been in vain. None of them had been the right brown-haired, brown-eyed beauty. There had always been something lacking.

I'd finally expanded my horizons; sampling blonds and redheads, as well as additional brunettes; but it had been no use. It would be good for a while and things would get physical to varying degrees, but it would never last. All over again I'd feel that essential piece missing from whatever relationship I had going.

The girls themselves hadn't really been the problem. Most of them had been very sweet, very caring girls and we'd had fun and enjoyed ourselves together but I always had a slightly restless feeling. I don't know if I ever truly realized what the problem was until I would once again be thrust back into some situation where I would see Bella or hear about her; our lives would somehow collide and I would know, all over again, just what was lacking. Those girls just weren't her. They were lacking the Bella Swan Factor.

When I'd polished off my beer I gathered up the little pile of paper crumbs from the label, tipping them into the empty bottle and tossing the bottle into the trash. I headed to my room, stripping off my clothes and tossing them in the laundry basket in my closet. I turned and surveyed the annoying familiarity of my room. My old twin bed faced the closet, a nightstand stood on the side in the corner, a small dresser next to the window and a desk with a bookshelf above it on the other wall. Except for the flatscreen TV that stood atop the dresser, my room looked exactly like the room I had inhabited since junior high school. I was aching to leave it all behind and move the furniture I'd had in my apartment in Seattle, the furniture which was now crammed into our garage, into a place I could call my own. I wanted someplace that would have my own stamp on it and not my mother's interior design touches from a decade ago.

I sighed as I headed into the shower to clean up and relax under the hot, soothing spray. I would find a place tomorrow. Forks didn't have that many options and I'd already scouted around a bit. There were two more places I wanted to check out and I could easily do that in the morning before going off to work at ten o'clock to gear up for the lunch crowd.

When I got out of the shower I toweled off and pulled on a pair of boxers, picking my phone up off the nightstand and sending a quick text to Jasper, letting him know I was going to blow off our Saturday morning run tomorrow, opting for apartment hunting before work instead. I set the alarm on my phone for seven fifteen but turned off the sound for incoming texts or calls. I was tired and didn't want to hear from Jasper in the middle of the night.

I put my phone back down on the nightstand, pulled back the covers on the bed and slid in between the cool sheets. I reached over and shut the light, lying there in the darkness with an arm crooked under my head, thinking about seeing Bella Swan again tonight. A line from the film classic, _Casablanca_, suddenly came to mind. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine." I guess it was inevitable she would walk into Cullen's; she lived right here in Forks after all. I could sympathize with Bogart, though…I had to wonder where this would lead. Bogart didn't get the girl and there was a good chance I wouldn't either. Still…maybe Fate put us both back here for a reason.

I lay there for a long time, thinking about the conversation this evening in the bar, remembering the way she'd looked; her expressive eyes and mouth as she spoke and laughed. I thought about that little static thrill I'd felt running up my spine the whole time I'd been seated at the table near her. I wanted more of that sensation, feeling that I could easily become addicted to it.

I rolled over and reached for my phone, checking the time and setting the phone back down. It was after midnight.

My mind drifted as I closed my eyes, thinking back a handful of years to a lovely young woman in a pretty dark steel-gray satin dress, posing for a photograph with her student, a boy dressed in a tuxedo at his senior prom, just a few weeks before he'd turned eighteen.

**May 28…5 years ago**

**EPOV (17 years old…12****th**** grade)**

"Edward, let your father help you with your tie; it's still crooked."

"Mom, I've got to go! I said I'd be there by six thirty and it's already six fifteen."

"Carlisle! Can you please help your impatient son?"

My dad hurried down the stairs.

"I just wanted to get the camera. Now, Edward, you'll be sure to get photos, won't you? We'll get a few of you here, but we'd like some of you with your date…"

"Yes, I promise, we'll do photos but I have to go!"

"Fix his tie, Carlisle," my mom pressed as she stood there beaming at me.

"Oh, right, right. Here, hold the camera, Edward." My dad handed me the camera then reached up, undoing the bow tie, the real bow tie…not just a cheesy clip on, and began re-doing it as he spoke up once again, pausing to glance at my eyes as he did so.

"You be on your best behavior tonight, Edward. This is an elegant affair and your behavior reflects on you and your upbringing."

"I know, dad, I'll be fine. You have nothing to worry about."

I wondered if he'd had this same talk with Emmett before he'd left for his senior prom four years ago. I wondered if Emmett had mentioned the flask he'd secreted away in a jacket pocket…the flask filled with his own special concoction of every possible booze my dad had in the liquor cabinet. It still made me shiver to think of how it must have tasted.

"There," he said, finally finished fiddling with my bow tie. "That looks perfect. Let me get a photo. Do you have the corsage?"

"Oh my goodness, I'll get it!" My mom bustled out of the room, heading into the kitchen to the refrigerator where the corsage was in its little package in cold storage. She hurried back into the room, thrusting it into my hands.

"Okay, smile, Edward," my dad said, barely giving me enough time to grin at the camera. "One more, with your mom. Esme, step closer. Edward, put your arm around your mother." He peered at the little screen.

"Mom isn't my date. Why am I taking a photo with her?"

"Humor me, Edward," my mother said with a smile as she gave my butt a light, swift swat.

Dad clicked away, the flash momentarily blinding me. I was finally allowed to leave after my mom hugged me, telling me I looked so handsome. My dad told me to "have fun within reason," and I was finally out the door, hustling to my car.

On the drive over I thought about how confusing life could be. Here I was, seventeen years old, off to prom, one of the perceived highlights of my senior year, a "rite of passage" as Alice had once called it, and I had seriously mixed feelings.

I was not taking the girl of my dreams to the prom, though that girl would be there. I wondered who Bella's date would be and if it were someone she had truly been dating or merely a friend who was accompanying her to an obligation she had, as a member of the Forks High teaching staff. I couldn't very well have asked my high school Spanish teacher to the prom…not , of course…but her student teacher, the ever so lovely and completely unaware, Isabella Swan.

Me taking Bella to the prom would certainly have raised the eyebrows of every single member of the Forks High School community, not to mention probably get Bella arrested by her own father for being some kind of sexual predator. Not that I would have had any kind of problem with any sexually predatory inclinations on her part. I would have gone right along with any of those inclinations…they'd been in my head the entire semester as I'd sat in her classroom, listening to her every word, watching her every move, responding to her questions, wondering if she had any idea just how in love with her I felt.

I'd kept things under wraps though, behaving like the typical teenage boy, knowing how inappropriate it would have been for me to acknowledge how I really felt and let that secret out. I knew I couldn't do that to her and I'd be embarrassed to do that to myself. And so instead of going to the prom with the woman I really wanted to take, I was instead taking the girl I'd dated since mid-January, the girl who had become my first real girlfriend at the beginning of second semester, two and a half weeks later.

I'd made that decision the day I'd been severely shocked, suddenly finding myself face to face with the object of my true desires, standing in front of the classroom in Mrs. Goff's Spanish Four class. The minute I saw Isabella Swan standing before us, being introduced to the class as _Señorita Swan_, Mrs. Goff's student teacher, _our_ _teacher_ for the entire second semester, I knew I needed a distraction and a cover. I needed a girlfriend for the first time in my life.

It wasn't like I was totally inexperienced. I'd gone out with the occasional girl since tenth grade when the true object of my desires had moved away to the University of Washington in Seattle. And there'd been numerous times throughout the past several years when I'd been at parties and found myself making out with some random girl who had put the moves on me. Of course I'd allowed it due to mild interest, excessive alcohol intake, poor judgment or a combination of those factors. Usually I'd just closed my eyes and pretended I was kissing the girl I'd always imagined myself to be kissing in my thoughts and dreams: Bella Swan.

But once I saw Bella at the front of that classroom and knew I'd be seeing her there on a daily basis until the end of the school year, I knew I needed someone more permanent to keep me distracted and busy and occupied so I didn't say or do something stupid regarding the youthful and alluring Miss Swan.

And so the girl I'd dated mid-January, for winter formal, became the girl I continued to ask out. Winter formal had been our first date; another "rite of passage" I'd felt compelled to experience with my friends and classmates. We'd actually had a very good time together. She'd been the logical choice to ask to that dance since we'd known each other for quite a while, shared several classes together, had the same group of friends, most of whom were already coupled up, and she'd had an interest in the sports events I'd participated in since she was Forks High's head cheerleader.

I'd known for a while that she'd had an interest in me and since she'd always been fun, friendly, outgoing and nice to me I'd decided to give the girlfriend thing a shot, sticking with my prior winter formal date and fellow Spanish Four class student. And so Jessica Stanley became my first real girlfriend.

And I was taking her to the prom tonight, these four and a half months later.

But I would see Bella tonight at the prom, too, dressed up and glorious and maybe, if I was lucky, I could ask her for one dance and my evening, my semester, my senior year and my entire high school life would be complete. If she said yes I'd probably fucking die and go to heaven.

The car was stopped, parked and the keys were in my hand. I wondered how long I'd been sitting there at my destination, lost in my thoughts. I grabbed the boxed corsage off the front seat next to me and quickly scrambled out of the car.

When I got into the Stanley's house Jessica was all ready to go. I told her she looked pretty. She was wearing a hot pink gown; rather low-cut and displaying her cleavage. At seventeen, I was a big fan of cleavage, whether in print, in film, or live and in person. And if said cleavage was going to be on display for me for the entire evening, well, I felt compelled to admire it. You do these things out of obligation as a seventeen year old boy.

Jessica's curly brown hair was up, piled on top of her head with a few little sparkly pins holding things in place. She looked excited and happy. She told me I looked "gorgeous" in my tux and I rolled my eyes at her but thanked her all the same. She actually told me I looked gorgeous on a somewhat regular basis and I never really knew what to say about that. I wondered sometimes if she remembered I had a brain inside my head as well as the "gorgeous" face on the front of it.

I handed her the box with the white baby orchid wrist corsage I'd bought for her and she squealed, saying it was so pretty. I didn't know why she was so surprised; it was more or less what she had hinted at wanting. She opened the box and I helped her put it on. Once she had grabbed her small purse and shawl, Mr. Stanley took a handful of photos of the two of us and we were finally allowed to leave.

We met Jasper and his current girlfriend, Katie Marshall, for our double-date dinner reservations at The Huntsman Steak House. The two of them were just walking up to the entrance of the restaurant when we got there and I honked the horn at them. They waved and waited for us at the door while I parked.

The girls spent a few minutes squealing at each other's dresses and gushing about how pretty each other looked and how handsome Jasper and I looked. I rolled my eyes at Jasper and he quietly told me I looked "good enough to eat," sliding his eyes meaningfully in Jessica's direction and then looking back at me with a smirk. With a polite smile I quietly told him to "fuck off."

Katie ordered the chicken dinner, Jessica wanted the filet mignon and Jasper and I both decided on the New York steak dinner. After the salad course the two girls got up to hit the restroom together…because that's what girls do, we'd discovered. I realized they probably had to compare notes or give each other pep talks or discuss the logistics of post-prom dalliances. And that left me with Jasper to compare notes with him.

"So, you and Jess finally going to consummate things tonight, Edward?" Jasper drawled the moment we were alone. He was drumming his fingertips on the tabletop.

"So, you really think it's any of your business, Jasper?" I asked in return, feeling rather irritated. I wasn't sure if I was irritated with him or with myself and this whole situation. It wasn't like I was Mr. Prim and Proper but Jessica had been pressing the issue of having sex and I'd been somewhat reluctant, feeling like I would be cheating on my true love if I pursued what any normal guy my age might, given the opportunity.

He laughed and shrugged. "I'm just saying Jessica seems pretty eager and you've only got a month of high school left to lose your v-card unless you're planning on going off to college 'intact.'" He even used finger quotes as he spoke. "Besides, you two have been dating since, what…January? And here it is, nearly June…I didn't think Jessica Stanley would wait that long to jump your bones…or your _bone_, rather…she's had a crush on you for like…forever, dude. Unless, of course, you're saving yourself for the right girl?" Jasper had another annoying smirk on his face.

_I couldn't very well tell him I was contemplating saving myself for my Spanish teacher, could I? Nope. No, I could not. He'd laugh himself sick and I, in turn, would be violently ill and die of mortification. I'd never told him how I'd felt about Bella and I wasn't about to share that information tonight._

"You know, Jasper, we've known each other for so long you're like a brother to me. Right now, you really seem just like my brother…like my asshat of a brother…Emmett. I don't know how to make it clear to you that my personal life really is _personal _but rest assured, if I ever feel like sharing that kind of information, I will most likely share it with you."

Jasper picked up his Coke and took a long drink. "Well, Edward, just keep in mind that life is filled with experiences; learning experiences that will give you much needed skills for the future. It's a veritable smorgasbord of opportunity and you get to pick and choose Besides, sex and the prom go hand in hand; it's practically expected, sort of a rite of passage." He smiled that smug, self-satisfied smile of his. He might be fine with experimenting with whomever, whenever the opportunity arose, but I wasn't so sure about me. I was conflicted.

"Whatever," I succinctly and vaguely replied as the girls returned to our table.

"_Rite of passage?" Has he been talking with Alice, for fuck's sake?_

Dinner progressed, seeming to take forever, until we finally finished and paid the bill and left for the decorated and transformed high school gym.

The prom itself was a blur of music and lights and dancing bodies. I participated, of course. I kept my cover, being attentive to Jessica, dancing and hanging out, getting us drinks and snacks, laughing and talking with friends as the night wore on. But my true focus, the minute I got in the door, was to surreptitiously watch the newest, youngest and most beautiful member of the Forks High teaching staff.

Jessica and I had spoken to Señorita Swan and her date earlier in the evening. Jessica had wanted to say hi to the teachers we had who were chaperoning the dance. I went along because of course I wanted to know who the hell the big, dark-skinned guy with all the teeth was and whether or not he and Bella were an actual item. I'd been relieved when she'd introduced Jacob Black as a friend; a childhood_ friend. _We chatted with them for a little while before I thought to suggest that Jessica and I should have our photos taken with Señorita Swan, since our Spanish teacher was a former Forks High graduate and Jessica and I were about to be Forks High graduates. It was a ridiculous ruse, but it worked and that was really all that mattered to me.

Jessica posed first with Bella and then I posed with her after that. I couldn't take my eyes off her as I stood there with my arm around her waist. When we finished Bella waved the big toothy guy over to have their photo taken together as well. I wasn't too happy about that but he was her childhood friend, after all, I really couldn't begrudge him a photo with her, could I?

I didn't work up the nerve to speak with Bella alone, however, until late in the evening. Her childhood friend-date was sitting at a table speaking with Coach Clapp and Mrs. Clapp, leaving Bella alone and unattended as she stood, watching the students dancing. I decided that was my best opportunity to ask her to dance.

"Hey, Bella. Shoot, sorry! I mean 'Miss Swan.' Sorry about that." I shook my head at my stupidity. It was completely understandable stupidity, given how lovely she looked, with her long, wavy hair cascading down around her porcelain shoulders and bare arms. Her deep chocolate eyes were amazing, accentuated with make up that was not overdone but merely highlighted her natural beauty.

"Edward, hi!" She waved her hand dismissively at my blunder in calling her Bella. "Don't worry about it. I know it's got to have been hard remembering to be so formal with me at school all semester long. Have you and Jessica been having a good time tonight?"

"Oh, yeah. The prom's been great. The music's pretty good." I looked back around at the people dancing and sitting at the linen-covered tables, set with fancy little floral centerpieces. I was suddenly feeling a little tongue tied and though I wanted to ask her for a dance I didn't know how to go about it without coming off like an idiot.

"Quite a crowd here," I suddenly blurted out instead. "Are you and your date having a good time?"

"Yes, thank you, Edward," she said with a smile. "I think I'm probably having a better time than Jacob is, though he was a good sport about accompanying me. I've seen quite a few of my students here tonight and it was fun to have the opportunity to see everyone all dressed up."

I smiled and nodded at her, silently telling myself to grow some balls and just ask her to dance already. If Lee Stevens and Austin Marks had been able to ask her to dance then surely I could do the same. And her date, the big Quileute dude with the dental anomaly…he'd had no problem dancing with Samantha White and Lauren Mallory, when they'd asked him.

I took a deep breath, crossed my fingers and leaned down toward Bella's ear.

"Would you dance the next one with me, Bella?"

She turned and smiled at me, blushing slightly. "Sure, Edward. I'd love to."

I hoped to God I wasn't smiling like too much of a loon as I took in her response. I think I nodded and said 'great' and maybe mumbled something else but couldn't be too sure of much of anything at that point.

Imagine my surprise and delight when the Fates and the DJ in charge of the evening's music combined forces and selected a slow dance number for the next musical interlude. I could see Bella falter at first, trying to decide if we should maybe wait until the next faster song, but I took her arm and led her out onto the dance floor before she could reach a conclusion.

_Holy shit! I was about to hold Bella Swan in my arms for a slow dance._

I'd like to be able to say that I would always recall that particular tune as "our song." But even as the music played and I stood on the dance floor, taking her into my arms and swaying with her to the slow tempo, I've got to admit, every single fiber of my being, auditory system included, was focused on the magic of just being with her. I had absolutely no idea what song was playing as I held her small, warm body in my arms and felt her hands resting on my shoulders.

I didn't hold her as closely as I would have liked. I knew, deep down that there was a fine line between what I could get away with and impropriety. I couldn't cross the line into Improprietyville and so I held her at a little more distance than I would have liked but at least that way she also wouldn't be able to tell just how much I wanted her.

"You look really beautiful tonight, Bella. Your dress is really pretty; that blue-gray color suits you."

She blushed a little once again and I thought the color of her dress suited her rosy glow even better but I didn't mention that.

"Thank you for the compliment, Edward. You look so nice tonight too; such a handsome young man in your tuxedo." She was looking up at me, her lips curving into a sweet smile.

Her statement left me breathless. No matter how many times Jessica had told me I looked "gorgeous" this was the first time a woman had ever complimented me on my appearance and I felt pleased she thought that of me. I mumbled a thank you and smiled, feeling a little flushed, and then I forced myself to look up over her head so I wouldn't just lean down to her mouth and try to kiss her.

The song ended and I escorted her back to her table in the corner where she once again joined her date, Jacob Black, sitting there alone for the moment, looking up at the two of us with that big, unnatural, Crest 3D-White Professional Whitening Whitestrip smile of his.

**August 28…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

…_the song ended and I escorted her back to her table in the corner where she turned to me and spoke softly._

"_It's awfully warm in here. Do you want to go outside for a few minutes and get some fresh air?"_

"_Sure, Bella," I answered, taking her by the hand and leading her out the side door of the gym where we stood alone in the cool night air, our faces illuminated by the silvery moon above, listening to the muffled sound of the music within the building._

_Bella smiled softly at me as her arms reached up past my shoulders, her hands around the back of my neck, twining into my hair._

"_Kiss me, Edward," she murmured, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight._

_I bent my head down, threading my fingers up into her hair and angling her head to meet my lips as I sought hers. She kissed my lips softly before allowing me entrance to her mouth and the soft, warm, velvet touch of her tongue against mine._

_I'd never kissed anyone as thoroughly as I kissed her in that moment, wanting to possess her mouth, to possess all of her and let her know just how much she meant to me. I felt her body relax into my arms, felt her warmth permeate my clothes and seep into my skin, until I felt as if I was glowing from within. That little electric sensation, that charge I'd felt so often, was scattering sparks throughout my body, making me feel as though I'd never really felt truly alive before. _

_We were both breathless when I finally pulled my lips away from hers._

"_Edward…do you want to go?" she asked in a low voice, biting then on her lower lip._

"_Where do you want to go?" I asked, as she pulled lightly at the hairs at the nape of my neck._

"_To my place…if you'd like…or yours." I was now stroking her back lightly, ghosting my fingertips along her spine._

"_All right," I answered in a low voice, nodding at the implication._

"_Okay," she said breathlessly, " let me just go get my things."_

_I followed her inside as she stopped back to the now-empty table; Jacob Black was nowhere in sight. She picked up her small purse and shawl and then she slipped her hand through my arm as we headed to my car._

_We stood in the doorway, kissing as we had in the moonlight. I eventually pulled away and clasped her hand in mine, leading her down the hall to the bedroom, untying my bow tie and unbuttoning my jacket as we went. I slung my jacket over a chair before turning to her and taking her in my arms once again, reaching up to the zipper at the back of her gown, unzipping her dress and letting it slide to the floor, pooling around her feet as we kissed. Her fingers slid from the back of my neck to the buttons of my shirt, unbuttoning until she finally pushed the shirt over my shoulders until it, too, fell to the ground with a rustling sigh. Shoes were discarded, pants and boxers and socks followed a bra and panties, whispering as they dropped until we stood facing each other, bare and yearning, ready and willing._

_I pulled back the covers and followed her down to the bed, pulling her into my arms once again, holding her gently as I gazed down at her lovely face._

"_Do you really want to do this, love? Are you sure?" I asked as I looked into her liquid chocolate eyes, shining up at me in the moonlight filtering in through the window._

"_Yes, I'm sure…it's what I want Edward…I want you…I've always wanted you."_

_I closed my eyes, unable to believe what she was telling me, feeling her pull me over her, positioning myself above her as she held me to her. And then I eased into her, feeling her warmth enveloping me, welcoming me, reveling in the scent of her arousal._

"_Ohhh, Bella…" I hissed, feeling her slick heat surrounding me like a glove, listening to her moans and gasps as I moved within her. "Oh my God, love, you feel so good."_

_She was clinging to me, kissing my neck and jaw, whispering my name, chanting, "Don't stop, Edward, please…don't stop."_

_I wasn't going to stop; I couldn't stop. I began moving faster, thrusting harder, deeper until I suddenly felt her quivering, crying out and grasping me from within her body. The static charge I always felt became a bright flare that burst within me and I stilled my movements as I came with a shout, gasping her name._

I blinked my eyes open, feeling my heart pounding within me. I turned my head to the side, looking at my empty bed, realizing with a sinking feeling that it had all been a dream. An unattainable dream.

_Fuck!_

I stretched, feeling the wet and sticky reality within my boxers.

_Fuck!_

I swept my hands over my face and ran my fingers through my hair.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

It had been the kind of dream that feels so real you want to fall back asleep and go back to that place, recapturing what had felt so real and maybe never leaving there. The dream hadn't been unfamiliar. I'd had the dream before. It was partly based in fact.

I had cashed in my v-card the night of prom but it wasn't with the girl of my dreams. It had been Jessica Stanley who had had the dubious honor of showing me the ropes that first time. And in reality, for my part, things had been much more clumsy and tentative than deft and sure. And it had certainly felt more quick and experimental than enduring and romantic. But though I had shared that physical experience with Jessica Stanley, my heart, my soul and my imaginings had always belonged and would always belong to Bella Swan.

I reached over to the nightstand for my phone to check the time and saw I had a text from Jasper, sent during the night.

_**No run? Ur loss! Good luck with**_

_**the house hunt. Check out the apt **_

_**near The Grind. U'll like the view.**_

I checked the time. Just a little after seven. Plenty of time to get up, shower once again, now that I'd had a nocturnal jizz fest, get dressed for work, throw some laundry in the wash, and fix a quick bite to eat before I went to check out the two apartments I wanted to see. One of them was the place Jasper had mentioned. It was one of about a dozen relatively new units right near The Grind, Forks' answer to Starbucks. Maybe I'd just wait until I got there and grab a coffee and bagel at The Grind.

It was funny that Jasper thought to send me to the same apartment I was planning to check out. I thought about his message as I turned on the shower. "_U'll like the view_," he'd texted.

_What view did he mean? The view of The Grind? All those apartments just faced each other. There was no real view. What the hell was he talking about?_

* * *

**A/N: I know…let me have it…and before anybody says anything about unprotected sex…keep in mind it was a dream sequence.**

**Reviews are better than Crest 3-D White Professional Whitening Whitestrips. ;D**


	10. A Room With a View

**One Stupid Thing**

**Hello lovelies! My goal is to catch up on review replies for both One Stupid Thing and The Transfer. If you've written a review for either…I love you madly and you'll hear from me shortly. Life is a frenzy as the school year comes to a close. But I love your reviews…and I will reply…so don't hold back!**

**Now let's go apartment hunting with nocturnal Romanceward…**

* * *

**Chapter 10: A Room With a View**

**August 28…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

I stood in the shower, thinking about Jasper and his cryptic text message once again.

Jasper Whitlock was incredibly smart but he could also be a real oddball sometimes. Those two traits were actually part of the allure when considering him one of your closest friends. I'd known him for most of my life and I was glad he'd landed back in Forks like I had. He would be partly responsible for my social life and he would certainly help to keep things interesting.

When I was a kid I hadn't realized that Jasper was actually brilliant. Maybe I hadn't noticed it because I was fairly smart myself but I also realized later that he must have really down-played his intellect and never pushed himself to his fullest potential. It wasn't until late in high school when it dawned on me that he was quite knowledgeable about a wide variety of topics and he had learned most of those things very quickly, only to move onto other interests. I'd always wondered if Jasper didn't maybe have Attention Deficit Disorder or Acutely Distractible Disorder or some such thing because he would bounce from one interest to the next as soon as he got things mostly figured out.

He'd been the one to convince me to try out for several sports teams with him in high school. And although I hadn't been so sure I'd want the discipline of an organized sports team, I found that I actually really enjoyed it once I took part in it. If it hadn't been for Jasper I probably wouldn't have gotten involved in football or baseball, and Forks High would have had to look elsewhere for their starting quarterback and starting pitcher during my junior and senior years. It was discovered early on in my high school sports endeavors that I had quite the powerful arm and quite the accurate aim for both sports, in addition to being rather fast on my feet.

It turned out that Emmett wasn't the only one in the Cullen family awarded sports trophies and plaques.

Jasper told me he'd suspected I'd havea natural ability once I grew into my gangly, lanky body and was a little less awkward and learned to move a little more smoothly. I guess I had him to thank for pushing me in that direction, though for about five minutes I worried about the fact that he'd apparently been observing my gangly, lanky body and I'd been completely unaware of it. But then I realized he must had read something or learned something somewhere about sports physiology or anatomy that had led him to this conclusion and it was just Jasper being Jasper. I found out later I had been right about his research findings and wrong about thinking for five minutes that Jasper was attracted to me. I was glad because that could have been _really_ awkward.

The Whitlocks just lived a couple streets over from our house. Joyce Whitlock worked as a checker at the grocery store and Justus Whitlock worked in construction and as a handyman on the weekends sometimes too. While we were growing up Jasper was often at my house when I wasn't at his and we'd spend most of our time outdoors riding bikes and skateboards when we were young, playing street hockey and shooting hoops in front of his garage when we got a little older and taller, and playing rag-tag games of baseball or football with friends over at the community park.

He'd begun working part-time early on, starting out as a box boy at the grocery store where his mom worked one summer. When he was a little older, his dad would hire him on to help out with construction work. Jasper learned basic carpentry, plumbing and electrical skills and honed those skills over the next few summers, helping his dad out on weekend handyman jobs until graduating from Forks High.

We'd been roommates in college for the first three years. He'd had an interest in business like I had and we'd shared numerous general education, economics and business classes. I would always attend class thoroughly prepared, with reading selections read and assignments completed; something that had been instilled in me by Isabella Swan. Jasper, on the other hand, was lucky if he knew where his textbooks were and happened to have a pen or pencil on him. But he would absorb lectures like a sponge. Some side note would spark his interest and he'd be off, reading up on that topic and other linked topics simply because they intrigued him. After three years of that, he quit school. He'd gotten enough out of it and was ready to do something different and move on.

He moved on all right. Jasper took off from Seattle and wound up traveling for a few years while I finished my degree and got my MBA. He worked odd jobs here and there to support himself so he could see and experience the things that appealed to him. He traveled the Pacific Northwest, California, and eventually made it all the way down to Mexico. Along the way he developed and nurtured his love for most outdoor sport activities available to mankind.

The first leg of the Jasper Whitlock Self-Discovery Tour involved hiking and kayaking around the Pacific Northwest. That led to a trip to Yosemite National Park in Northern California where he pursued an interest in climbing and white water rafting.

From there he headed south, winding up in Southern California, working as a waiter while he surfed and windsurfed in his spare time. He wound up across the border in Mexico for an extended stay, perfecting his high school Spanish language skills and accent while staying with the family of a girl named Maria he'd met in a bar down there. I think that's also where he got into cliff-diving, somewhere along the coast.

He'd been back in Forks for several months and had opened up a little business right next door to the Newton's sporting goods store. He had bought up the small shoe repair shop that was right next door and turned it into Northwest Adventures. He could hook you up to do just about any outdoor activity or sport. He could tell you what to go buy next door at The Outdoorsman sporting goods shop, he could rent you the necessary equipment himself, he could be your guide if you needed one, for a fee he could be your instructor; he might even be tempted to join you just for the hell of it.

Income wasn't a problem. He'd done some freelance writing and photography and his work was snatched up by several travel and adventure magazines. He had also learned a few things about the stock market and made some good investments and could afford to do whatever his crazy mind conceived.

I was in awe of his interests and abilities.

Every time I heard a TV or radio commercial for Dos Equis beer I thought of Jasper Whitlock._"The most interesting man in the world."_ Surely that slogan applied to him. And yet he down-played it; he wasn't a know-it-all by any stretch of the imagination. He was the most down-to-earth guy I knew and one of the most entertaining people you'd ever want to meet, especially if you wanted your entertainment outdoors.

In the few short weeks I'd been living back in Forks we'd established a routine of running a few miles together on Saturday mornings, for all of the above reasons. This morning I'd had to cancel on him however, in order to hunt for an apartment instead.

I'd just have to ask him about his text message later and find out what he thought was so special about the view at the apartments near The Grind.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

My mom was already in the kitchen in her robe and slippers, starting a pot of coffee when I materialized from my room, showered, dressed and ready to leave. She must have heard my footsteps on the stairs because she turned and looked over her shoulder, smiling as I entered the room.

"Good morning, Edward. Did you sleep okay?"

_Yeah, I slept great…I slept with Bella Swan. Again. But then I woke up and realized it was a dream. Once a-fucking-gain._

I shrugged. "Yeah, sure. How was the fundraiser last night?"

"Oh, you know, the usual, lots of schmoozing with very little sincerity. But I think they raised quite a bit for the new wing at the hospital. The Board of Directors seemed pleased. The food and the music were both good and you know I always love an excuse to get your father dressed up and out dancing with me."

"Sounds like a pretty good date night, then." I smiled at her as I leaned against the counter. My father's busy schedule kept them from too many nights out but I knew my mom enjoyed the rare ones they got together, fundraisers included.

"Yeah it was." She got a little smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye and began pouring two cups of coffee as a distraction, it seemed. I really didn't want to know what the smile and the twinkle were all about.

"How was work?" she asked, moving smoothly along to a more palatable topic of conversation as she poured creamer into the two cups.

"Good. Busy." I nodded a thank you as she slid one of the cups of coffee across the counter to me. If we were going to chat and share a cup of coffee I could skip the stop at The Grind for my morning jolt of caffeine.

"That's all I get? Nothing interesting happened?" She took a sip of her coffee, looking at me over the rim of the cup, waiting.

_Actually… yes…something piqued my interest. Or someone…_

I hesitated for just a moment before answering, not making eye contact because I certainly didn't want to give away too much to my mother.

"Let's see…the Thompsons came in for dinner; they said to say hi to you and Dad. James got to work thirty minutes late so I tended bar for a bit to cover for him. And Bella came in to meet Angela Weber , who's back in Forks and was just hired at the high school. Oh, and the new waitress, Victoria…?" I paused, glancing up at my mom's face finally. She nodded in recollection. "She's working out well." I took a gulp of my coffee, signaling the end of my prior day's overview, hoping it had all seemed rather nnonchalant.

_There. Those were the highlights._

"Did you get a chance to talk to Bella?" Her voice posed the question innocently enough but her bright eyes were watching me so much more intently than before, giving her real interest away. She clutched at her coffee cup just a little more tightly, holding onto it with two hands now.

_Just like a bloodhound, sniffing out the scent of the real meat of the matter. She wasn't going to focus on a single other thing I'd said, of course. I wouldn't be that lucky._

I took another quick gulp of my coffee and then ran my fingers through my still-damp hair before nodding. "Yeah, she came and sat at the bar while I was covering for James. We talked a bit before Angela showed up. I set the two of them up with some drinks and an order of those Spanish Tapas you added to the menu. Bella loved them; she said they all tasted authentic and I got to practice my Spanish with her a little."

I smiled at the memory before I could catch myself and belatedly realized I had begun to babble and perhaps even looked a little wistful. I looked up at my mom's face, feeling slightly panicky that she would maybe sniff out my true feelings.

_And there it was…crap…that knowing little mother's smile._

"Anyway, I was just about to leave," I said abruptly, jerking my thumb over my shoulder before she could make any further comment regarding Bella. "I'm going to take off and go check out two rentals before I head to work." I took one more quick drink of coffee, dumping the remainder down the drain and setting the cup in the sink. I turned on my heel, about to flee, but she refused to be sidetracked.

"So that was it? You didn't talk to Bella anymore after that?"

_Shit. What is this? Mom's got detective skills?_

"No, I did. She and Angela actually invited me to join them. Garrett was already there for the evening shift. I was off work at that point so I had a drink with them and sat and visited for a while. We talked a little about work and we reminisced a little about high school and college, too."

_Okay? Are we good? Thirst for information satisfied?_

"Alice will be jealous when she finds out you got to spend an evening catching up with her old friends." She smiled at me but before I could reply she continued. "I've always really liked Bella." She looked closely at me, waiting for something; confirmation of something.

I nodded finally. "Yeah, Bella's great. She's a really nice girl."

_That sounded noncommittal, right?_

My mother nodded slowly, looking at me carefully. "You know, Edward, I kind of thought something happened between you and Bella a while back. And things did seem rather…_awkward_…between the two of you last year at Rose and Emmett's wedding."

My stomach had just executed a perfect back flip. I scratched at the back of my neck, avoiding her gaze as I began shaking my head slightly like I had no idea what she was talking about.

_Awkward? You mean like how it might seem awkward if you'd celebrated your twenty-first birthday by more or less clandestinely attacking the girl you'd had an all-consuming secret crush on for years? _

_Awkward as in how it might be if you'd shoved your tongue into her mouth and had been just drunk enough to imagine she was responding in kind? _

_Or awkward like the way it would feel to have her pull away and slap you and storm off with tears in her eyes? _

_Nope, that shit hadn't been awkward at all! _

_And it's also not at all awkward to have her talk to you a year later when you're trying to hide and avoid her at your brother's wedding and she attempts to apologize for something that hadn't even been her fault._

_Nope, nothing awkward about any of that! _

_There is a general feeling of having been a complete idiot and dick, however._

"No, nothing happened between Bella and me. We're good." I dragged my fingers through my hair, anxious to sprint out of the house and away from this conversation.

It _had_ actually had seemed like we were good last evening…like I'd been forgiven. Or she'd forgiven herself. Or most likely the event was buried and forgotten or ignored and we were moving past what had happened. Or pretending it had never happened

"Are you sure?" she prodded.

"Positive. Look, Mom, I've got to get going. I really want to check out these two places before work. I'm hoping I can find something and move before next weekend when Alice gets back. I'll see you later this evening, okay?"

"All right, Edward. I'm glad if I was wrong about you and Bella. I'll see you this evening. Maybe you can work on cleaning out your room a bit more and getting yourself organized since you're so intent on moving out, even though you really don't have to."

I rolled my eyes as I headed toward the door but then I turned to face her once more.

"I know I don't have to move out but I want to; I need to. It's time. Besides, you'll have Alice back home. The two of you can go nuts together, redecorating and setting my room up as a guest room or a workroom for Alice. It'll be mother-daughter bonding at its very best."

She laughed. "You're probably right. Go ahead, get out of here, then. I'll see you tonight."

I waved and was out the front door in a flash, climbing in my car and heading for the opposite end of town.

The first place I checked out wasn't your normal rental apartment. It was actually a small studio apartment; a separate outbuilding in the backyard of an old two-story house. The main house itself was straight out of an earlier, more peaceful era. It looked to be in need of some repairs and certainly a fresh coat of paint but you could see how stately it had been in its prime.

It had a wide, covered front porch; the kind of place you'd want to sit in the summertime, sipping lemonade while reading a good book. The huge tree in the front yard would be the perfect place to hang a rope swing and I found myself wondering if it had been home to one in the past. The garden that wrapped around the front and sides was overrun with weeds and needed to be trimmed way back but it was easy to imagine what it could be.

The owners of the place lived in the main house, of course. They were a sweet elderly couple who brushed off my apologies for not having called ahead and for showing up so early in the day on a Saturday. They'd added that they were early risers and I was in no way inconveniencing them. When I'd introduced myself as Edward Cullen the elderly gentleman had chuckled, introducing himself as an Edward as well, and then he had introduced his wife, Elizabeth.

They invited me to come inside the house while Elizabeth went to fetch the key to the guesthouse out back. Though Edward walked with a cane his wife still seemed quite energetic and lively. Edward shuffled over to a chair near the big bay window and stiffly took a seat while I stood in the entryway admiring the rich, dark wood of the flooring, the staircase, and the curving banister that led upstairs. Though the exterior of the house needed much care, the interior was clean, bright and well-polished with numerous pieces of furniture that appeared to be antiques. My mother the decorator would have been in heaven.

Elizabeth was the one who took me out to look at the rental property. She explained that her husband had suffered a stroke several years ago and had slowed down quite a bit physically since then. She apologized for the appearance of the exterior of the house, explaining that since his stroke, Edward had been unable to do much in the way of physical labor and was too stubborn to hire someone else to do it. She rolled her eyes and I smiled, telling her it was understandable and she had no reason to apologize to me.

"It isn't much," she said as she unlocked the door and pushed it open for me to enter. "It was used in the past as a guest house but we've only ever had guests in the main house. It would really be the perfect space for an artist's studio or a writer's study; something like that. I'm not so sure it's what a young man like you would be looking for." Her bright blue eyes were kind as she appraised me.

The small guesthouse had a tiny bathroom with a miniscule shower stall. There was a single closet next to the bathroom and the rest of the open space featured a barely functional utilitarian kitchen in the far corner facing an area to be used as a living, dining and bedroom space combined. It was far smaller than I wanted and I didn't think I could live in a space that was so free-form. I was accustomed to walls to help me organize and define the purpose of a room.

I felt badly telling Edward and Elizabeth Masen that it didn't suit my needs, even though it was priced well below the limit I'd set for myself. I think they had been hopeful that whoever took the place would maybe be able to help out a little with the external upkeep of the property. But I wasn't ready to take on something like that. I certainly didn't mind a little yard work but I really preferred to keep my free time to myself to work on a social life and have a little fun. Maybe if I'd been a little older, or at a more settled point in my life, or if I was looking to buy something, I would consider taking on something like that. But as a renter just getting my act together, with a somewhat uncertain future, it didn't make any sense. I wasn't even sure if I was going to be staying in Forks indefinitely.

They wished me luck in my hunt for acceptable housing and waved goodbye from their front porch as I drove off down the road, headed for the apartments near The Grind.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

I'd never really paid attention to the small complex that sat back off the road. As I pulled into the little drive just past the coffee shop I noticed the sign for the first time and actually took the time to read it. The Bellevue Apartments.

_Oh. Duh!_

Finally I got it. Jasper's words, "U'll like the view," came back to me. Mystery solved. "The view" as in "the vue." Bellevue. He was a funny one all right.

The sign advertised new units featuring one and two bedroom apartments, private patios and balconies, laundry facilities, a seasonal pool and a clubhouse with sauna and spa. At least there were a few things you could do in your spare time here besides your laundry.

As I pulled into the guest parking area I looked over at the carports for the residents. It appeared that each unit came with a covered carport, so the vehicles wouldn't be completely unprotected from the weather. The carports were filled with an assortment of cars and trucks.

When I saw a brilliantly shiny red truck with bright, flashy rims on the oversized tires, I did a double-take. It was an older model truck but it was all souped-up and pimped out. It reminded me for a brief moment of Bella's ancient and rusting Chevy. I smiled as I thought back to my initial reaction as a thirteen year old when I'd experienced Bella's truck for that first ride on that first day of tutoring. It had been a cross between disbelief and mild disgust. But Bella had been so proud of her ancient truck and I'd admired her for looking past the appearance and focusing instead on the fact that she'd bought it herself, at sixteen years old, in an early bid for self-sufficiency.

I wondered what she was driving nowadays.

I parked my car and walked over to the rental office, looking around the small complex as I went. There were more units than I'd thought. Not a dozen…more like two dozen. The landscaping was neat and well-taken care of and the units looked new. Inside the rental office the manager, a balding man with glasses, had his nose in a book. He didn't seem to take too much interest in me when I introduced myself. He just gathered up the keys to the two available units and led me out the door.

"I'll take you to the downstairs unit I have available first," he said over his shoulder. I said that was fine and followed along behind him. As we walked he spouted the amenities I had already seen listed on the sign at the entrance to the parking lot, adding that the pool and the clubhouse, which housed the sauna and spa, closed at eleven and the laundry room closed at midnight.

"Here we are," he said as he thrust a key into the lock. We walked inside and he began talking about the newly replaced carpet. He pointed out the closet by the front door next before he turned to the large room opposite. "This here is your living room; it's got cable hook-up for your TV." He pointed vaguely in the corner.

The room was rather large and bright. The drapes were open and I moved to look out the big front window. Just as I was about to turn and follow the manager into the dining area and kitchen, a movement at the unit opposite, beyond the wide walkway and little garden area, caught my eye.

I paused, watching as the woman exited the apartment, shutting the door behind her and walking a few steps down the little pathway from her door. She suddenly stopped, throwing her hands up into the air in obvious irritation, turning on her heel and heading back to the unit she had just left. She dug around in her purse and fished out her key, unlocking the door she had just left and proceeded back inside. I felt a small smile creep across my face as I realized she had forgotten something within her apartment.

"_U'll like the view." That was an understatement._

"I'll take it," I murmured.

"I'm sorry?" The manager's voice came from somewhere behind me where he had been extolling the virtues of the stainless steel kitchen appliances.

"I said I'll take it. This unit…I want to rent it." I didn't bother turning around to face him; my eyes were otherwise occupied.

"But you haven't even seen the whole thing yet. Or the other unit I have available," he said in surprise, coming out to stand next to me, peering at me.

"I've seen enough," I said, smiling as I watched the woman exit her apartment once again, carrying a book she hadn't had in her possession before and heading up the walkway toward the carports beyond my line of sight. Her thick wavy brown hair, pulled up into a high ponytail, swayed from side to side slightly as she walked. My eyes dropped down to the curve of her behind as she walked. She still had that same lovely sashay that had captured my attention and interest so many years ago.

"How soon can I move in?" I asked, abruptly turning to face the manager.

"Well, I'll have to run a credit check and there's paperwork for you to fill out, plus the rental agreement if you're approved."

"Can I do that now?"

"Well, sure, you can fill out the paperwork in the office if you've got all your information on you. But like I said, the credit check will take a few days. We've got to get you approved. I can't just rent to anybody, you know?"

He locked up the place and led me back over to the office. I took the paperwork and sat at a side chair, filling things out, checking my wallet and phone, where I'd stored most of the necessary information.

Within five minutes I was done, sliding the clipboard across the desk to Balding-Glasses-Guy. "Here you go."

He adjusted his glasses and looked at the paperwork. "Cullen?" he asked.

"Yeah, Edward Cullen."

_I introduced myself as such. You're reading it straight off the form. I don't understand the confusion._

"Are you Carlisle Cullen's son?" He looked over the top of his glasses at me.

_Oh._

"Yeah…you know my dad?"

"Emergency appendectomy a year ago. Your father saved my life."

"Oh. Really?" I'd heard those kinds of things before, of course but it still caught me by surprise when it happened.

"Yeah…you know what, Edward? We're good." He smiled at me. "I don't need to run a credit check." He continued looking over my paperwork. "It says here you manage Cullen's Bar and Grill?"

"I do."

"You seem kind of young," he mused.

I just shrugged. He was right. I am kind of young to be managing a restaurant and bar. But I'm experienced and I know what I'm doing and that's what matters. Age doesn't.

"The wife and I are going to dinner there next Thursday evening. It'll be our anniversary. Thirty four years."

"Congratulations." I smiled sincerely at Balding-Glasses-Anniversary-Guy for the first time. "I'll be in by six. I'll spot you some dessert. We serve a mean Crème Brulee with fresh berries. Would the Mrs. like that? Or there's Killer Chocolate Lava Cake?"

"The Mrs. would be very happy with the Crème Brulee." He looked pleasantly surprised.

"Done. I'll keep an eye out for you on Thursday."

"Thank you. That's very kind of you." He was smiling happily.

"How soon do you think I could move in?" I asked, getting back to the point of why I was really here.

"Oh, right. You can move in as soon as you finish signing the rental agreement, give me your security deposit, and I hand over the key." He took out additional paperwork, which I quickly filled out for a six-month lease.

"I'll just need a check for the first and last month's rent and the place is yours."

I whipped out my wallet once more and pulled a blank check from one of the sections; I'd been hopeful after all. I filled it out and passed it to him.

He slid the key he'd used on the front door across the desk toward me, along with two others.

"Here you go; apartment key and mailbox key. And this one gets you into the pool gate, the clubhouse and the laundry room. Here's a packet of rules and info for you, too. The hours for the office are posted outside, but the wife and I live in the first unit on the right if there's ever a problem after hours. I'm Peter, by the way, Peter Yeager…and the wife's name is Charlotte." He reached a hand out and I shook it.

"Thanks, Peter. I appreciate it. I really do."

"Not a problem, Edward. Welcome to the Bellevue Apartments."

I picked up everything, attaching new keys to my keyring, ready to dance out into the parking lot and burst into song. I honestly couldn't believe my good fortune.

_I scored the Bella-view at The Bellevue. Could today possibly get any better?_

I climbed into my car and started it, looking at the clock. I had to be at work in twenty minutes. As I pulled out of the guest parking area and drove back out to the main road I spotted the same brilliantly shiny red truck in a parking space in front of The Grind.

It hit me like a wrecking ball.

_That truck was hers!_

And then I spotted wavy brown hair pulled up into a high ponytail. She was sitting at a little bistro table right out front, drinking a coffee, sunglasses perched on her nose, reading a book.

I turned the steering wheel hard, my tires spinning out on the loose gravel as I made the quick, last minute turn into the parking lot of the little shopping center that included The Grind.

_Maybe I'll just go ahead and stop for that second cup of coffee._

**August 28…8 months ago**

**BPOV (25 years old)**

I awoke on Saturday morning to a loud "_thunk_." I lay in bed for a few moments, wondering what would make a _thunk_. Certainly not my alarm. That thing had been off for the summer. One of the definite perks of the teaching profession...my summers were my own and I could sleep until noon if I wanted. I rolled over to check the time and was startled by a second _thunk_. I leaned over my bed, in the direction of the _thunks_ and saw the two big photo albums I had been looking at the previous night, lying there open on the floor below.

_Oh._

_Right._

I looked at the clock. It was a little after eight and I had been _thunked_ out of my dreams. Theoretically I could sleep until noon during the summers, but I usually woke up well before nine and today was no different.

I reached down to the floor and pulled the first album back up into my bed, looking at the photos on the open page. It was a series of photos from my high school graduation ten years ago; photos my dad had taken that day. The first shot was a photo of me in my cap and gown, standing on the front porch of our house, prior to leaving for Forks High. The second one my dad had taken of the two of us; a slightly off-center shot of us standing together and smiling at the camera in his outstretched arm. Beneath that was a photo he had taken of just me, after the ceremony, displaying my diploma proudly. The following photos were shots of me with various Cullens: Alice hugging me in a vise grip, a candid shot of Esme and Carlisle speaking with me, and a grinning Emmett with an arm around Rose on one side and me on the other.

My eyes focused on the very last photo in the group. It was a slightly awkward looking shot of a young Edward leaning down slightly, about to hug me. His head was tipped down and he was watching me with a shy smile on his face. I was laughing at someone beyond the edge of the photo as I reached toward him…maybe Alice or Emmett?

I remember feeling surprised seconds afterwards when we did hug; Edward was a bigger presence than I'd realized. Usually we were seated when I'd tutored him and even when we were standing or walking there was always space between us. But when he'd hugged me, for that quick instant, I realized thirteen year old Edward was taller than Ben Cheney and nearly as tall as Tyler Crowley, and not quite as skinny as he appeared.

_That was an odd little thing to remember._

I closed that album and reached for the other one, pulling it up to my lap as I sat there in bed, half of me still under the covers.

The second album, from my college years and afterwards, was open to a page of photos from just two years ago; a twenty-first birthday celebration in a bar. The photos had been taken early in the evening, before the party-goers and the guest of honor had had very much to drink. Most of the faces were familiar; family, friends, and former high school classmates. But there were a couple of other faces, people I hadn't met before that evening, younger people…weekend guests…college students from Seattle; a pretty girl with strawberry blond hair who had her arm wrapped around Edward in the photo, smiling up at his slightly flushed face.

I found myself wondering about the girl in the picture with the strawberry blond hair.

_Where was she now? Was she still in the picture?_

I realized it was a silly and pointless line of thought and I shook my head, clearing the cobwebs and vague and hazy questions from my mind before they had a chance to fully form.

I closed the album, closed my mind, and moved off my bed, headed to the shower.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

About an hour later I was just leaving my apartment, locking the door behind me, heading for my truck when I realized I'd left my book inside.

_Crap!_

I turned around, heading back to my door, hunting for my keys and finally finding them in my purse. Once inside I went back to my bedroom, picking up the book I'd been reading from its place on my nightstand. I turned around and headed back out, locking up behind myself once more before making my way to the parking lot.

The Grind was busy; it was a Saturday after all but I got my coffee and a carrot raisin muffin and headed for an empty table outside in the morning sunshine. I sat down with my book, cup of coffee and muffin and proceeded to enjoy my slow, end-of-summer Saturday morning, relaxing with a recent bestseller-turned-movie.

The sound of tires grinding on the loose gravel of the pavement into the lot barely made an impact on my consciousness as I read. It wasn't until a shadow was thrown across the book I held in my hands that I looked up, sensing a simultaneous slight shift in the atmosphere.

There stood Edward Cullen, smiling and spinning his keyring in his long fingers.

* * *

**A/N: So you got a peek at Jasper, all-knowing Esme, more on that infamous kiss situation, the elderly Masens and their lovely old home, the Bella-view at the Bellevue, and more photos from Bella's past. Let me know what you thought of this jumbled mess…I mean chapter. :) **


	11. Knock knock, No Joke

**One Stupid Thing**

**A/N: So yes…still behind on review replies. But school's out for summer! I'm really going to try to correspond better because I love hearing from you and want you to know that. Individually. So here's a blanket thank you for reading and reviewing. Expect something more personal shortly.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not her. She's not me. This isn't it. But you're going to read it anyway if you're this far into the story.**

**Edward and Bella aren't grinding, but they are at The Grind together. Surely that counts for something? Additional Jasper exposure and Eddie starts moving in...**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Knock-knock…No Joke**

**August 28…8 months ago**

**EPOV (23 years old)**

"Edward! Hi. What are you doing here?" She looked completely caught off guard as she looked up at me through her oversized sunglasses. She was obviously wrapped up in the novel she'd been reading, slouched down a little in her chair, one leg crossed over the other. It wasn't until I stood in the path of the sunlight shining on her that she'd looked up. I couldn't fight back my grin at her question; she had no idea she was talking to her new neighbor. But I did feel a little nervous; I wondered deep down how it would go over when she found out.

"What am I doing here? Uh…coffee shop? Coffee?" I nodded over her shoulder toward The Grind, grinning a little as I did so. "I just assumed a place like this would sell it. Or is that just there to tease me?" I pointed at her paper coffee cup on the table in front of her.

"This is actually an empty cup," she replied, removing the lid and displaying the now-nonexistent contents with a little smirk of her own. "And I'd say yes, there is certainly some teasing going on."

I grinned at her reciprocal teasing. _Touché._

"I guess we're even now. Anyway, I was going to grab a cup of coffee and a bite to eat before I head to work. Since your cup is empty would you like another…" I stooped to read the side of the cup where her order had been scribbled, "…non-fat vanilla latte?"

She glanced back down at the book in her lap, folded the corner of the page she'd been reading and closed it. She sat up a little straighter in her chair then, peering back up at me with a smile. "Sure. But only if you'll join me." Her eyebrows arched slightly above the frame of her sunglasses.

_Not a problem at all. _

"Yeah, sure, I've got a few minutes. I'll be right back." I turned toward the door as she laid her book down on the table. "Do you want anything else?" I thought to ask as I grabbed the handle of the door. She smiled and shook her head.

I returned a few moments later, carefully setting down our coffees and the little bag that held the carrot raisin muffin I'd bought. She thanked me for the coffee as I pulled out the chair across from her and took a seat.

"Okay, Edward, back to my original question. What are you doing here?"

"Can't a guy buy a coffee and a muffin?" I frowned at her in mock dismay.

She smiled. I'm pretty sure she was rolling her eyes but I couldn't see past her sunglasses. I was forced to focus on her mouth instead which really wasn't such a bad trade-off.

"Of course you can buy a coffee and a muffin. And the carrot raisin is definitely their best," she added, glancing at the muffin I'd just pulled from the little bag. "I just meant that this is kind of out of the way for you from your parents' house."

She picked up her coffee cup, removing the lid and blowing on the contents to cool it.

I feigned shocked interest at her words. "Are you keeping tabs on me, Isabella Swan? Checking up on my private life?"

She blushed immediately and looked down, biting her lip a little. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I was prying. You're certainly allowed a private life."

I realized I'd embarrassed her and I felt a little bad. I wondered what she was thinking; where she thought I might have been coming from. And then it dawned on me she might be thinking I'd maybe just rolled out of someone else's house. I couldn't let her think that.

"I'm just teasing you, Bella. I've been out looking at a couple rental units. I looked at a few this past week but I found one today I liked and just signed a six-month lease." I blew on my hot coffee just as she had done.

"Oh, yeah? Where?" She sipped at her coffee and I did the same.

_Face neutral. Voice calm. Try for nonchalance and offhandedness. Ready…GO!_

"Just around the corner…The Bellevue apartments." I hooked my thumb over my shoulder as I said it and then took a quick bite of carrot raisin muffin to keep myself busy and to maintain my cover. I was really glad I'd bought the little edible prop.

"You're kidding!" She smiled and uncrossed her legs and sat up straighter, leaning across the table towards me a bit.

I shook my head as I chewed, trying to keep my face neutral, hoping she wouldn't think I'd taken the place because she lived there, although that was exactly the case.

_I was an obsessed pervert._

"Edward, that's where I live!"

I couldn't help but notice that she hadn't gotten up and run screaming for the hills. That was a good sign. I swallowed the bite of muffin and tried to project the appropriate mix of surprise and delight.

_And hopefully I'm projecting very little obsessive perversion._

"Are you joking?"

"No, I'm serious!" She smiled a little more broadly. "Which unit are you? There were two that have been vacant. Are you upstairs or downstairs?"

She had raised her sunglasses, pushing them into her hair and wearing them now like a headband above her hairline. I could look into her liquid chocolate brown eyes now as she leaned closer across the table towards me. She wasn't wearing make-up and she looked so young and pretty with her hair up in a ponytail; just like the girl who had walked into the kitchen and into my heart ten years ago.

I wanted to grab her up into my arms and shout that I was in the apartment directly across from hers and life was terrific and I would be watching her every move on a daily basis. But I knew that was a bad idea and would probably send the wrong message. So I remained seated and answered her question calmly, like a normal person would.

"I took the apartment downstairs. Which one is yours?" I took another bite of carrot raisin muffin.

_Like I didn't already know. I would deserve the award for best male actor if I pulled this whole charade off._

"I'm downstairs, too, right across from you. I'm in 108 so you're in 109. You're on the odd side." She picked up her coffee and took a drink.

I nodded, taking a gulp of my coffee. And then I frowned. '_I'm_ _on the odd side_?'

"What are you saying, Bella? You're calling me odd?" I knew what she meant; but for some reason it was just fun to tease her.

She started laughing and choked a little on her coffee. I took another sip of mine and polished off my muffin as she spoke.

"You know what I mean," she finally said after clearing her throat. "The even numbered apartments are on my side of the walkway. Your side of the walkway has the odd numbered units. So you _are _on the odd side, Edward." She smirked as she said it. "Anyway, welcome to the neighborhood." She smiled as she tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. She didn't seem at all reluctant about the situation and I in turn felt relieved.

"Thanks." I smiled, trying not to seem overly excited about the prospect of us being neighbors. I picked up a napkin, wiping my mouth and brushing the crumbs from the muffin off my hands. "It seems like a good place to live; it's newer, I like the pool and the spa and sauna."

_Although I haven't actually seen the spa or the sauna. _

_I have, however, seen the resident across the way. And that sealed the deal for this obsessed pervert. _

I took a quick drink of my coffee before my mouth could say something involuntary and ridiculous.

"Oh, it's a great place to live," she agreed. "The pool is seasonal though; it's closed in the winter, but the spa and sauna in the clubhouse are open year round. The manager and his wife are nice. The Yaegers. You probably met him…Peter."

I nodded, crumpling up the napkin and little paper bag in my hand.

"Yeah, he seemed nice. He knew my dad." I shrugged. "So, how long have you lived there, Bella?"

"Almost a year. I moved in after Labor Day last year; right before the school year started." She swirled her cooling coffee around before taking a drink. "So, when are you moving in?"

I shrugged. I really hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

_I'd only thought about how I could watch the object of my desires relatively easily from my living room window. _

_In an obsessively perverted kind of way. _

"Um…I haven't figured out moving in yet. Most of my stuff is still boxed up in the garage at my parents' house from when I moved back from Seattle, though. I'll probably bring a few things over tonight after work or maybe tomorrow during the day before work; small stuff, you know, whatever I can fit in my car. At some point this week I'll have to rent a U-haul for the furniture."

She nodded. She seemed to be contemplating something before she spoke again.

"Maybe I could help you. You could use my truck for the big stuff. I'm busy tomorrow, but I could help you any other day during the week. It might take a couple trips but it wouldn't cost you a dime."

I smiled. She was sweet to offer. "No…I don't want to put you out and the stuff will be heavy. I'll just ask Jasper; see if he can help me and I'll rent something."

"Edward, you wouldn't be putting me out. I'm off work for another week and a half. I really have nothing to do during the day. And I have a truck. " She pointed to the shiny red behemoth with the flashy rims a few spots away in the parking lot. The truck I had recognized as probably hers.

"That's yours?" I asked with a grin. It seemed so unlike her to make so many ostentatious changes to her old truck. "Rusty has had a make-over?"

"_Rusty_?" she gasped. Her eyes widened and she looked at me in disbelief.

_Oops._

I started chuckling at her indignation. I'd always thought of her truck as "Rusty" though I guess I'd never voiced that out loud. Not that it had been rusted out…it was just old and the paint color had been a kind of rusty sort of a faded red.

She began sputtering at me. "Edward, how dare you? You're calling my truck names? Forget my offer. If you're going to disparage my truck forget my offer!" She crossed her arms over her chest and acted all huffy but I could still see the smile in her eyes.

"How about 'Trusty-Rusty'? Because of the old paint color and because of how dependable he's always been for you?" I raised my brows and grinned, hoping that had sounded conciliatory enough.

"How about 'Scary-Cheri'?" she countered. "Because _SHE_ might just run you down in the parking lot of your new apartment complex?"

I laughed and then I couldn't resist. "So Rusty has had a make-over _and_ a sex-change?"

She gaped at me for a split second then burst into giggles. "Oh my God! My poor truck! You're so cruel! Don't you have someplace else you have to be, Edward?"

_Crap._

I looked at my watch.

_Crap! _

I'd totally lost track of the time. And I'd lost track of the real world. And I'd been having a wonderful time, talking and laughing with Bella Swan out in front of The Grind.

"Shoot. Yeah, I've got to go," I said, looking at her and feeling rather wistful. I drained the rest of my coffee and got to my feet, pushing the chair I'd sat in back under the table.

"Thanks for the coffee, Edward," she said, smiling up at me before pulling her sunglasses back into place. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you around. And if you can withhold your rude comments regarding my truck, the offer still stands. And Jasper can help us if he's available."

I grinned down at her. "You're welcome for the coffee, Bella, and I'll think about your offer. Have a nice afternoon."

"Thanks, you too. Bye."

I tossed out my trash and hustled to my car. As I fastened my seatbelt I glanced back over at the table where I'd sat with her. She'd picked her book up but she was looking my way. She seemed to blush a little but I waved goodbye and she waved back. And then I sped out of the parking lot, unable to wipe the silly grin off my face.

When I got to the restaurant, Laurent, our head chef, was already in the kitchen gearing up for the lunch crowd with a few of his kitchen crew. He had a key to the back door that led into the kitchen and I was only a few minutes late, so it was no big deal. I let myself into the office and paused when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I dug out my phone. It was a text from Jasper; I'd known it would be coming at some point this morning.

_**Did u take my suggestion?**_

I hit reply and typed out a quick message.

_**Yep. Signed a 6-mo lease.**_

He must have had his phone in his hand because his reply text came back immediately.

_**How'd u like the view?**_

I snorted at his inquiry. We were so going to talk about this. I needed answers.

_**The view is awesome. **_

_**We need to talk.**_

After a bit my phone vibrated once again and I checked the message.

_**Cool. I'll be in for lunch.**_

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Around two o'clock in the afternoon my phone vibrated on the desk in front of me. I'd been sitting in the office looking over the schedule for the coming week and making up the schedule for the following week. I picked up my phone and looked at the incoming message.

_**Knock-knock**_

I rolled my eyes as I got up and went to the door of the office, opening it to find Jasper one step away from the doorway.

"You know…most people would actually go ahead and knock on the door, not just text the sound."

"What can I say, Edward? I'm a big fan of onomatopoeia. Besides, this way I was able to knock right when I walked in the place and didn't see you. I assumed you were in your office and it saved me all kinds of time."

I just shook my head because sometimes there was no figuring out crazy.

"You want to eat in here or out in the bar?" I asked.

"Here's good." He flopped down on the small couch that sat in the corner of the office and laid his arms up along the back of the couch as he relaxed his head back onto it.

"God, this is the life! I've been standing up all morning. Weekends are busy…everybody comes out of the woodworks to get their outdoors on. Poor Riley…I left him in charge...but he can handle it."

I nodded. I knew Northwest Adventures would be much busier in the summer than any other season, with all the out of town tourists looking for activities. And of course the weekends would be busier than the weekdays. I was glad my job was a little more regular: you had the lunch crush then it ebbed until the happy hour crowd and then the dinner crush. After that it was smooth sailing; the bar was wilder on Friday and Saturday nights but those were Garrett's nights to manage; those were my nights off.

"So, what are you having? You want a menu?" I raised my brows as I gazed at him.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll have the Thai chicken salad and a bottled water."

I picked up the phone and punched the line into the kitchen. I placed an order for two Thai chicken salads, a bottled water and an iced tea. In the meantime, Jasper had lain down, kicking off his shoes and stretching out on his back. His hands were beneath his head, fingers clasped, elbows sticking out to the sides. By the time I hung up the phone his eyes were closed.

"You want me to get you a blankie? Maybe sing you a lullabye?" I asked as I moved aside the schedules for the employee shifts for this week and next.

Jasper raised one hand from behind his head and flipped me off. His eyes were still closed. "You want to rub my feet?"

"Not particularly. But I do want to know what made you suggest The Bellevue apartments to me. I know you know that's why you're here."

He opened his eyes and looked over at me smugly, raising his eyebrows for emphasis and smirking. "I thought you liked the place…you said the view was awesome."

"The view _is_ awesome." I didn't elaborate because somehow I didn't think I needed to.

He grinned and shut his eyes. "I'll assume you took the apartment across from Bella Swan's, then."

_He knew all right._

I raked my fingers through my hair though I was tempted to get up and shake the living daylights out of him until he gave me a decent answer. Instead I sighed. And looked over at him. He had a goddamned smirk on his lips and his goddamned eyes were still closed.

I waited.

He waited.

His smirk got broader but his eyes remained closed.

I finally gave up with a sigh.

"So how'd you know?"

He snorted a laugh. "I had a feeling…I've had the feeling before and I just put two and two and two and two and two together. I've always been good at math."

His fucking eyes were still closed. I sighed once again. I was getting nowhere fast.

"Okay, I give…what were all the twos?"

_Really. What the hell was he talking about?_

He rolled over on his side, curling up in a sort of ball as he did so and looked across at me, eyes glowing in triumph.

"This goes way back, doesn't it?" he asked with a proud smirk.

I didn't bat an eye; I just sat there waiting impassively.

"Okay…here are the twos as I see them…," he finally said as he pulled himself back upright. "I came in here late last night but you'd left long ago. I was sitting at the bar, shooting the shit with James and he asked me something about Chief Swan's daughter; he wanted to know if there was something between you and her. I said I didn't think so; that you'd been friends since she tutored you when you were a kid. But he told me she'd been in here with Pastor Weber's daughter, Angela, and you went and sat with them after you were off. He said you'd taken some appetizers over and you'd sat and had a drink with them…and frankly, Edward…you don't usually sit and drink with anybody here. That was the first two and that got me to thinking about the twos from the past.

"When you were a kid and Bella was tutoring you, you never once had a negative thing to say about it. Most kids would have been irritated about tutoring biting into their social life, but you never once said squat. You gladly left whatever fun thing was going on to go to your tutoring session. That's not normal. You weren't normal. That's the second two.

"And then freshman year…you were fine in Beginning Spanish; you were getting A's, but you got together with Bella occasionally for extra _'help.'_" He made air quotes with his fingers as he said it. "You didn't need help! Damn…every time Goff called on you, you knew exactly what she was saying and you answered correctly in near-grammatically-perfect Spanish. _'Help,' _my ass!" He shook his head. "That's another two."

He kept going and I just sat there still and quiet.

"Senior year…second semester…Bella Swan shows up in our Spanish Four classroom. She's introduced as Goff's Student Teacher…and you're sitting there with a glazed look on your face; a mixture of fear and awe. I mean, heck…I knew her when she was in high school, too…she was over at your house with your sister all the time…but I didn't get that glazed look in _my_ eyes. I knew right then that you were hot for teacher. Of course you couldn't really do anything about it, though…"

His eyes suddenly widened and he stared at me.

"Oh, dear God…!" he blurted suddenly. "Jessica Stanley was a decoy, wasn't she?"

I exhaled like I'd been punched and I was feeling a little lightheaded.

Jasper's eyes just went a little wider at my non-admission admission.

"Son-of-a-bitch! That's a big fat fucked-up two, right there! Christ Almighty!"

I just sat there dumbfounded, listening to all the twos. I hadn't realized there were so many. I'd thought I'd hidden the twos so well.

"Senior Prom…the end of the school year…you slow-danced with her, buddy. Nobody slow dances with their teacher…or their student teacher. I mean, yes, you had some kind of unusual history with her that was different than the average student…and she _was_ a close friend of your sisters and she was awfully pretty and did look awfully young, but still…_a slow-dance_? That just screams two at the top of its lungs.

"And then since senior year…with college and living in Seattle and all…I figured that had pretty much become a non-issue. But then I remembered…just a few weeks ago…when you moved back to Forks…and we started hanging out…I was telling you who I still saw around town…the minute I mentioned her name you perked right up. It was out-of-the-ordinary-interest, my man. Undeniable two…right there, dude."

He sat there staring at me and I sat there trying to wipe the look of shock off my face.

"So am I right or am I right?" he drawled "You've had a thing for Miss Swan for a long time, haven't you?"

I stared at him. The twos were overwhelmingly stacked against me; giving me away.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door interrupting us. It was an actual knock-knock, not a knock-text.

"Come in!" I said, thankful for the distraction, hoping we could just move on to something else.

Victoria came in with a tray, smiling at me and greeting Jasper by name. She set our Thai chicken salads down on my desk and the little table next to the couch. She put down our drinks and our set-ups and asked if we needed anything else. I shook my head and thanked her and she left the office, pulling the door closed behind her.

"I'll bet she's a real wild one," Jasper observed, once the door had shut.

_Yes! So easily distracted!_

But before I could say anything regarding Victoria he pressed on.

"Well? Bella Swan? Yes or yes?" He stabbed a forkful of salad and brought it to his mouth, waiting and examining my expression.

I sighed heavily. I ran my fingers through my hair. Then I did it again for good measure.

"Yes," I finally admitted with a long and drawn out exhale. It was almost a relief to admit it to him.

"I knew it! I had a feeling!" Jasper was smiling at me smugly, self-satisfied asshole that he was. He began digging into his salad with gusto. I began picking at mine.

"It's that obvious?" I asked.

"Well, not really," he said as he poked his fork around. "I just know you well, Edward. You're the closest thing I'll ever have to a brother. You've actually concealed it fairly well. But I've got to say…that shit's been going on for a helluva long time." He chewed thoughtfully then looked up at me for confirmation.

"Yeah, it has," I agreed, nodding as I picked at my salad; no longer very hungry. "You think it's stupid?" I finally asked after a few moments.

"Oh, heck no!" he sputtered. "Why would it be _stupid_? She's cute. She's sweet. Always has been. Shit, everyone in that Spanish class was in love with her…girls included… Though not sexually. At least I don't think so." He paused and looked thoughtfully into space for a moment. "No, I don't think there was any of that." He shook his head and dug into his salad a little more heartily. "Anyway, I think it has potential."

"How come you never said anything?" I was curious. He'd had all the twos, after all.

He chewed and looked at me for a moment before replying.

"Same reason why you've never said anything; it wasn't the right time.

"And you think now is the right time?"

He shrugged. "It wouldn't have been do-able before. Now I think it's do-able."

"So how did you know the apartment across from hers was available?" I was still curious about that, too.

He took another bite, smiled, chewed and swallowed.

"I saw her at The Grind a few days ago. I'd gone for a ride on my mountain bike and stopped by there on the way back for some coffee and to relax. She was out front at a table, reading a book. I sat down with her and we just chatted. She said she lived right around the corner in the Bellevue apartments, I asked her about the apartments…

"You know…sometimes I feel like I should move into something bigger than that dinky little apartment above Northwest Adventures. I can certainly afford it, you know?"

I smirked as I nodded and snapped my fingers in front of his face because he was getting side-tracked.

_So easily distracted._

"Oh, yeah…right. Anyway, she told me there were a few units available; one right across from hers. When you texted me last night that you were ditching me to go apartment hunting, I figured it was probably still available. The rest is history.

"So tell me what happened this morning," he said as he speared his remaining forkful of salad. He chewed, took a long drink of his bottled water then laid back down on the sofa, curling up on his side once again with his hands folded together under his cheek, like I was about to tell him a bedtime story.

I told him the entire story, from the time I first stepped foot into the complex all the way up to the goodbyes at The Grind, including her offer to help me move with her truck. He listened raptly the entire time.

"So what do you think I should do?" I finally asked, rocking back in my desk chair, feeling a little lighter for finally confiding in him.

"I can't believe you're even asking me, dude. I mean, of course I'll help you move the heavy stuff; Riley can cover the shop, so just let me know when. But seriously? She offers to help you…you know it will take hours, several trips, two days if you stretch it. Of course you take her up on her offer! Then you invite her to dinner; cook it yourself or take her out…to thank her, you know?. That's how you stretch it into three days."

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you asked me if you should just rent a truck."

I sat back and looked at him. He was absolutely right. I'd be a fool not to take her up on her offer. I decided I'd definitely head back over to the apartment later tonight after work. If her light was on, I'd stop by and let her know how much I would appreciate her help and we could make arrangements.

Jasper left shortly after that. I walked him out and then I schmoozed with the customers afterward for a bit before returning to my office.

The rest of my day lagged. I couldn't wait to get out of there. I'd decided.

As soon as Garrett showed up I stopped by my parents' house, trading my dress pants for a pair of worn jeans and losing my tie and belt. I thought about changing my button down shirt as well, but I was already wasting too much time, so I just rolled up the sleeves and kept it on.

I picked up some clothes and boxes to unpack at the apartment. I didn't want to look like a total imbecile, turning up on her doorstep just to ask her for help sometime during the week. That seemed rather pathetic…though I'd be the first to admit I was indeed pathetic. I just figured it was better not to call attention to it. And so I would go over there with a load of things to unpack and put away.

It would be a start, at least.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

I pulled into my designated carport in the Bellevue parking lot shortly after seven o'clock. I was a little disheartened to see that Bella's truck wasn't parked in the space next to mine. So much for my plans. But it was a Saturday night, after all. It was perfectly understandable that she would be out doing something with friends.

I left my car, heading for my new apartment, juggling the big, clanking box filled with kitchen cookware. I glanced over at Bella's unit just to make sure. _Dark. No one home._ I sighed as I dropped off that box and headed back to my car for the box that had been labeled "glassware, dishes and utensils." I'd figured I could get the kitchen organized even if I couldn't move any big furniture items yet.

I hadn't thought to bring any lamps, but there were already bulbs in the overhead light fixtures in the entryway, the kitchen, the bathroom and the hall. Enough of the apartment was illuminated for me to maneuver. It wasn't like I was going to trip over any furniture in the dark in my living room or bedroom, anyway. The place was as sparsely decorated as you could get.

On the final trip back to my car I grabbed a huge stack of clothing I'd pulled out of my closet at home. Everything was still on hangers. I draped all the clothes over a box marked, "bathroom" and took the entire pile with the box directly to my room. I was staggering and on the verge of dropping everything and couldn't manage to shut the front door.

In the bedroom I struggled to hang up the clothing that was still on hangers. Most of the hangers were being uncooperative, the heads turning sideways and getting stuck together while some of the clothing slipped off of them and onto the floor.

But that's where I was, fighting a losing battle, when I heard it... It was the sweetest sound you could imagine. And it was coming from my living room entryway.

"Knock, knock?"

It wasn't just that it was verbal onomatopoeia, as opposed to texted onomatopoeia; it was _her_ onomatopoeia. Bella Swan was at my opened front door, checking to see if I was home, possibly requesting to be admitted.

"Back here! I'll be right out!" I yelled as I wrestled with the uncooperative hangers. They refused to bend to my will. I finally just gave up and threw the pile of clothing, hangers and all, onto the floor of the closet and slid the closet door shut in exasperation and hurried to the front door.

I was looking back over my shoulder as I hustled out of my bedroom, thinking about how I still had to unpack the box of bathroom things.

I wasn't watching where I was going. I rounded the corner and I plowed right into her as she turned the corner coming down the hall. She'd shrieked, startled at first, and then exhaled heavily as I knocked the wind out of her in our collision. In that split second I knew that she was going to land flat on her butt and I had to prevent that. I lunged forward as she was flailing backward. I was reaching out, both arms wrapping around her body, but realized in the last moment that I had too much forward motion going. I was off balance and couldn't stop our fall; I had no counterbalance. We were going down together hard. I think I yelled an incoherent expletive. One of my hands shot up to cradle her head so she wouldn't slam it on the floor when she hit and the other hand shot out beneath her to help break our fall.

_Shit! I was about to squash Bella Swan like a little bug!_

* * *

**A/N: *Giggle* Oh you just know this is going to be entertaining, don't you? **


End file.
